Brewing a Connection
by Coopereid
Summary: AU. Derek the barista falls hard and fast for one of his customers, but the problem is Spencer has only one priority in life: academics. Can Derek win him over and show him that there is, in fact, more to life than school?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This story is a work in progress I've had going for a while. My best friend actually requested I put a bunch of stories on the backburner to work on this, because she'd love to see how I make it work. Unfortunately, she recently passed away, so I'm going to pick up this story and get it done for her. As always, I own absolutely nothing in the Criminal Minds world, and just made an AU for my own enjoyment.

* * *

Working at a coffee shop wasn't the most respectable job that a guy could have, but when it was between that to pay the bills or moving back in with his mother, the choice was obvious for Derek. It wasn't that it was a bad job to have: he enjoyed making people laugh and smile with their morning coffee, and getting rid of some of the stress for the college students who came in to work on their papers. His boss had noticed how charming he was, along with how well he communicated with the customers, and instantly promoted him to full-time. One of the best parts of his job was his co-worker who was always scheduled with him, Penelope. It started out as playful flirting, but now it was full blown entertainment for the customers.

At the shop, they had their fair share of regulars: there were the students from the local university, the businessmen and women, couples, groups of friends, and individuals who would drift in mid-afternoon. Over time, they'd get so familiar with someone that they'd have their order memorized. Then, of course, there were the people who enjoyed trying something new every time, or those who would come in, just because they had a gift card or someone recommended it. They could always spot one of these customers from a mile away, because it just seemed like they didn't belong there. Nevertheless, Derek always turned on the charm and made it a great experience for the customer.

Derek always had the morning rush shift, because he was able to keep up with the demand and still have a smile on his face. He tucked a Sharpie behind his ear, turning to Penelope.

"Monday morning - ready for the insanity, sweetness?"

"As always, venti mocha," she said, winking at him and taking out her own purple sharpie.

He smirked, unlocking the front door and walking behind the register, logging in and waiting for the customers to start coming.

She clicked her tongue. "I bet you first up today is going to be Mr. Uptight in his pinstripe suit with his fake leather briefcase."

He chuckled. "I don't know, we could have Miss 'If I don't get my coffee in two minutes, I'll commit murder'."

She thought to herself. "Loser has to clean the blenders?"

He nodded, shaking her hand. "It's on."

The first customers of the day ended up being what Derek assumed was a couple and their son: a tall blonde girl holding the child against her hip and a taller brunette man. Derek looked him over and committed him to memory. He never could've imagined a human could look _that_ gorgeous, let alone be right in front of him. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks, a purple button up, sweater, and a skinny tie, and the outfit was finished with a pair of Converse. He wasn't the kind of guy Derek usually went after, but he was definitely interested. But, of course, as usual, all of the good ones were either straight, taken, or both. Penelope could see Derek tuned out of the conversation, so she smirked, shaking her head.

"Hey, Jayje, is it 'take Henry to work' day?" she asked, tapping her nails against the counter.

The blonde tucked her hair behind her ear. "No, it's 'Will had to work so I need to drop him off at daycare' day." She pointed to Spencer. "And 'drop off the neighbor at school because his car's in the shop yet again' day."

"Ooh, always fun." She turned to the man. "Spencer, I haven't seen you since Henry's birthday party. Been busy with school?"

He nodded. "Trying to finish up my coursework this semester. Your coffee shop is about to be my lifeline."

She laughed softly. "Can't wait, it should be fun." She took out her Sharpie, taking off the cap. "JJ, the usual tall Iced Coffee with cream and sugar, a chocolate milk for the little one…" she turned to Spencer. "And for you?"

He scanned the menu. "Venti White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream?"

"You've got a sweet tooth, don't you, Mr. Reid?" she teased, writing it down on the cup.

JJ laughed. "Oh, that's an understatement. He puts away about four cups a day, so he'll probably be the reason you guys stay open."

"Looking forward to it." She nudged Derek, waving the cup in front of his face and whistling. "Order in."

He straightened up, taking the cup and clearing his throat. "Sorry, one white chocolate mocha with whipped?"

Spencer nodded. "Please."

He walked to the back, humming to himself and making the drink while Penelope made the other. He turned back to him. "Chocolate drizzle on top?"

"Ooh yes, please," he said, before ducking from JJ ruffling his hair.

"So I'm guessing for your birthday I'm going to need to buy you a new set of teeth?"

He mock laughed as Derek put the lid on the drink, holding it out to him. He gave Derek a smile. "Thank you," he said, taking a cautionary sip and smirking, taking out his wallet. "I've got these."

"Well, Mr. 'I got a full boat scholarship to finish school', I was hoping you would. Not to mention your godson's getting thirsty and wants his chocolate milk." She turned to him. "Right, Henry?"

The little boy nodded, watching as his mother put the straw in and handed it to him.

Spencer shook his head as Derek rang him up.

"Venti White Chocolate Mocha, Tall Iced Coffee, and a chocolate milk…"

Spencer held out his card. "I don't even _want_ to know. Coffee is a 'charge now, worry later' sort of thing."

Derek chuckled. "Sure thing." He took the card, swiping it and handing it back to him, along with his receipt. "Have a great day," he said, flashing him a smile.

Spencer nodded, taking JJ's drink off the counter and holding up his hand to wave at Penelope before following JJ out to her car.

Derek cleared his throat, motioning toward the door. "Who was that?"

"Oh, JJ? We were college roommates. We were practically inseparable. We took all the same classes, went to all of the same extracurriculars, then when we decided on separate areas of study. Despite that, we spent every moment we could together. I actually set her up with her husband, because I saw him in my Sociology class and figured they were _perfect_-"

He raised an eyebrow. "Really, you think those two belong together?"

"Her and _Spencer_?" She scoffed. "Please, he's practically her little brother! She and Will have been together for years and she just had Henry a couple of years ago. Spencer was a few years behind us, but JJ always protected him."

He clicked his tongue. "So, this Spencer guy, what do you know about him?"

She shrugged, tapping her nails against the counter. "He's working on his second or third degree right now and he's some sort of super genius because he has a full ride. He's known JJ for years: they grew up in the same neighborhood and he seemed to have a target on his back for getting his ass kicked, but she always came to his rescue. She obviously knows him well enough to make him godfather of Henry, and he's just an all around good guy from what I've seen."

He crossed his arms, nodding. "Interesting."

She raised an eyebrow. "_Interesting_? You've never cared about someone I know coming into the coffee shop before, let alone demanded an unauthorized biography of them. Why would it matter now-" she paused, smirking. "_Oh_!"

"Oh what?" he asked, confused.

"Oh you are so totally _interested_!" He rolled his eyes and she shook her head. "Nuh uh, there's no pulling anything over on me. You _like_ him."

"And so what if I did?"

She shrugged. "I'd say 'good luck', because that boy cares about two things: his studies, and his godson." She eyed the door and groaned. "Mr. Uptight's here, and it looks like he's bringing the crowd with him. This isn't over."

If there was one thing Derek Morgan was always up for, it was a challenge, and apparently, getting Spencer to talk to him was going to be a big challenge.

* * *

"So, my venti mocha has a little something for a white chocolate mocha," Penelope teased, sticking her Sharpie in her apron and wiping down the counter.

He gave her a look. "My little vanilla bean frappucino better mind her business."

"Really, that's the best you've got?" She pointed to the menu board. "The possibilities are endless and you go with the basic? I'm hurt."

He shook his head. "Well, someone didn't bother doing an introduction, even if I were interested."

"And how was I supposed to do that with you blankly staring into space like an idiot?"

"Come on, I was not that bad."

She gave him a look. "It took me waving his cup in your face to snap you out of it. And me giving you the cup was kinda my way of saying 'hey, here's this cute guy, hit on him'."

"You still could've introduced us!" he argued.

"Yeah, right. 'Hi, kid I know from a few social outings and godparently duties, who also happens to be my best friend's neighbor, this is my delicious coworker whose pants just got remarkably tighter at the sight of you'. That would've gone over really well."

"It's better than nothing."

"Sorry, you're just going to have to win him over the old fashioned way."

He crossed his arms. "Oh, and how's that?"

She shrugged. "You're adorable and seem to have a brain. I'm sure you can figure it out just fine."

He scoffed. "It's not like he's going to come in every day-"

She wagged her finger. "Nope, that's where you're wrong. While you were off in Derek's dreamland, he was telling me that he's practically going to live here with all of the classes he's taken on this semester. Considering his workload is going to be insane, I imagine he has classes every day, and JJ mentioned he has several cups of coffee a day. Are you catching my drift?"

He smiled slightly. "I think I am. You do realize you need to help me out and send him to my register, right?"

"That depends, are you _actually_ going to be there, or are you going to be staring longingly into space like this?" she asked, imitating him.

He mock laughed, restocking the cups and shaking his head. He couldn't remember ever falling this fast with somebody when he had barely said a word to them. Sure, he'd been with people a few dates and they hooked up, but he had never felt this instant attraction before. He had no clue if Spencer would even be interested in him, or if he was even gay, but there was only one way to find out.

* * *

Derek wasn't expecting Spencer to come back so soon: he ended up walking in later that morning.

Garcia nudged him, smirking. "All yours. It's about time I get to see Derek Morgan putting the moves on someone, you know, other than me."

He rolled his eyes, tightening his apron and looking at him. Since this morning, he'd added glasses to his look, and if there was one thing Derek was a sucker for, it was a pair of glasses.

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "...Hello."

Derek cleared his throat, straightening up, which caused Penelope to giggle. "Sorry about that, what can I get you, a venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle?"

Spencer stared at him. "That's my order exactly. You must have a _really_ good memory."

"Something like that," Penelope said, giving him a smile. "Classes going well?"

He nodded, biting his lip. "Well, sort of. I may have corrected my first professor of the day? It's possible I'll be switching classes."

"...Okay, scale of 1-10, how bad was it?"

He thought about it. "_Probably_ an eight."

She exhaled. "Ouch, good luck with the recovery."

"I'm going to need it." He took the cup from Derek, taking a sip. "...Does this have chocolate shavings on top?"

"I overheard about your bad morning and figured you could use the kick."

Spencer clicked his tongue. "For future reference, when a customer wants something on their drink, they'll let you know, and eavesdropping on someone's conversation is rather rude."

"...I'm sorry."

Spencer held out his card to him. "Add in a cake pop and I'll get over it."

Penelope smirked, taking one out of the case and putting it in a bag, holding it out to him. Meanwhile, Derek swiped his card and ripped off his receipt, handing it to him. "Have a good one."

"Thanks," he said, tucking his card back into his wallet, turning to Penelope. "See you again soon."

"Can't wait."

He tucked the bag into his messenger bag, sipping his drink and walking out.

Penelope chuckled, turning to him. "So, that's the Derek Morgan charm, pissing him off?"

He shook his head. "Obviously, I'm off my game today."

"That's an understatement."

"I'll get at least a smile out of him tomorrow."

"Oh, believe me, I'm looking forward to seeing this happen. If you don't get a date, at least I get entertainment."

He mock laughed, rolling his eyes and leaning against the counter.

* * *

The next few times Spencer came into the shop, Derek had been too busy with the morning rush to talk to him, and by the time the crowd had died down, Spencer left for class.

Penelope checked her watch, clicking her tongue.

"Yes?" Derek asked, restocking the bakery items and closing the doors.

She pointed to her watch. "Your little crush's class is about to let out, which means he'll be here in ten minutes. Any idea what you're going to do?"

He shrugged, pulling off his rubber gloves and throwing them away. "No idea. What do you suggest?"

"I don't know, I've heard all of these stories about the great Derek Morgan being the world's greatest flirt, and I've seen you strike out _every single time_ you try to put the moves on him. Where's your game, and on top of that, _how_ are you still pursuing him?"

"I'm interested. I don't know what it is, but I like him. I can't explain it."

She smirked. "Oh you are so totally smitten. I wish you luck, darling, because he's the king of tunnel vision. If it doesn't involve his studies, he doesn't realize it exists."

He held up crossed fingers. "I can only go up from where I am, right?"

She chuckled. "We'll see."

Just as Penelope had predicted, Spencer walked in a few minutes later with a few of his books in hand. He walked up to the counter, setting down his books and clearing his throat.

Derek picked up a cup. "Venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and chocolate, _no_ chocolate shavings?"

Spencer nodded, reaching in his pocket and taking out his wallet.

"Name?" Derek asked, pointing to the cup.

"Oh, um, Spencer," he said, setting his credit card on the counter and adjusting his glasses.

Derek wrote his name on the cup and made his drink, motioning toward his textbooks. "Classes going okay?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow, shrugging. "It's school, nothing overly exciting to most."

Penelope moved his textbooks to read them. "Never thought you'd be the Art History type."

"I'm not, it's my last elective. It was between that and Philosophy, and considering that experience didn't go well…"

"...What did you do, dare I ask?"

"Corrected my professor a time or twenty per day. He hated my guts as much as I disliked his one-sided thinking, but he still had to pass me with an A because I did the coursework to his liking."

"Please tell me you got revenge via your teacher evaluation?"

He nodded. "Definitely. Pretty much everyone disliked him."

Derek cleared his throat, handing the cup to him. "Here you go, Spencer. Anything else?"

He thought to himself before shaking his head. "JJ told me if I eat all of my meals here, she'd hide my credit card, and part of me believes her."

Derek smiled, swiping his card and handing it to him, along with his receipt. "Have a great day, Spencer."

"You too." Spencer looked at him, confused, before moving to check his nametag. "Derek." He turned to Penelope. "I'll see you tomorrow for JJ's monthly godparent guilt trip babysitting?"

"You bet."

Once Spencer left, Penelope turned to him. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"You wanted his name for the cup and referred to him by his first name. I know that's the 'proper' way to greet guests and if the manager would here, he'd love you for kissing so much ass, but we don't _do_ that, like ever."

"He had to get my name somehow, right?" he asked, motioning toward his nametag. "And you told me his genius brain remembers pretty much everything he reads."

She shook her head, laughing softly. "You're _such_ an idiot."

"I may be an idiot, but at least he knows me by name now and not just 'that guy who works with Penelope'."

"_Please_ let me tell JJ about this so she can plant it in his head to take a hint and date you?"

"Definitely not." When she looked ready to object, he put up his hand. "Don't. This isn't her business, and it's only your business because you're always here."

She put out her lip, pouting. "Fine. But when you two are together, I promise, I'm giving you a pet name."

"And I'm sure it'll be interesting."

He saw her lean against the counter, thinking to herself, and knew the process of finding a pet name had already begun. Shaking his head, he tried to think of just how he was going to get the attention of someone with the worst case of tunnel vision he'd ever seen.


	2. Warming

**Author's Note:** I had a few people asking about updates, so I just figured I'd let you know that the game plan is to update it once every couple of weeks, if time allows me to write. Enjoy!

* * *

Monday morning, Derek was opening with Penelope again. He unlocked the front door and walked to the register, logging in.

"Do you know his schedule yet?" Penelope asked, picking a pink Sharpie out of her apron and sticking it in her shirt pocket.

He shook his head. "That's why I have you around, darling."

She counted off his visit times, putting up a finger for each one. "If JJ drops him off, he'll be here in 20 minutes. If he drives himself, he'll be here after his first class at 9:30. His next class lets out at 11:30, so he'll be here around 11:45. Then his last class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday gets out at 1:30, so he'll be here 1:45 until he gets his homework done, because he prefers the coffee shop environment to the library." When he gave her a look, she shrugged. "What? Henry went down early and we got to talking."

"...Did you talk about anything else?"

"By anything else, do you mean six foot something delicious baristas? Because if you do, the answer is no." She paused, holding up a finger. "Though you _did_ come up in a conversation."

He raised an eyebrow. "...Did you bring me up, or did he?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." She looked over at him and groaned. "You are _not_ puppy-eyeing me right now."

"You bet your ass I am."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't get your hopes up. _I_ mentioned you casually in one of our conversations."

"...And did he respond, or-"

"Sorry, handsome. I just got a 'Derek, he's the one who put the chocolate shavings on my white chocolate mocha, right?' followed by a 'while enjoyable, I didn't ask for it' and a 'does he always eavesdrop on your conversations and act so nosy?'."

"Okay, so I obviously made a pretty crappy impression on him… any advice?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, just… don't be an ass, I guess."

"Right to the point." He nodded. "Consider it done."

* * *

Spencer came in just as Penelope had said, right after his first class. He came up to the counter while Penelope was with another customer, so he turned to Derek.

"Hey, Spencer. Venti white chocolate mocha with whipped and chocolate drizzle?"

Spencer nodded and Derek picked up the cup, writing his drink on it before making it. While he was putting on the whipped cream, he picked up the cup again, writing something else. Once he was done, he put on the drizzle and fastened the lid, walking over and holding it out to him. "Anything else?"

He eyed the case, chewing his cheek and thinking to himself. "I'll take a coffee cake, please."

He reached in, grabbing one with a piece of tissue paper and putting it into a bag, holding it out to him. Spencer held out his credit card and Derek took it, swiping.

Penelope finished up with her customer and turned to Spencer. "Having a good Monday?"

He shrugged, putting his credit card back into his wallet. "Professors seem to forget the fact that we actually want to have some sort of life outside of school. It's a few weeks in and I already have three projects and four papers due."

She wrinkled her nose. "Ew. I wish you luck, young genius."

He held up his coffee cup. "Here's hoping this helps."

She held up crossed fingers. "Godspeed."

He gave a slight wave. "Penelope, Derek," he said, addressing each of them before heading out to his next class.

Once he left, Penelope backhanded Derek in the arm. "Are you insane!?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh no, you don't get to play innocent here."

He grabbed a rag, wiping down the counter. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, so that wasn't your phone number written on the side of his cup, right under his name?"

He paused. "Okay, so I might know what you're talking about."

"Could you _be_ anymore desperate for him to talk to you about something that isn't his coffee order or awkward barista small talk!" she snapped. "My advice to you was to _not_ be an ass, and that was a pretty ass-y thing to do."

"His impression of me can only go up from where I have it, so I figured I had nothing to lose."

She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Men."

Later on, Derek's phone started ringing and he dug it out of his pocket. Seeing a number he didn't recognize, he turned the phone to Penelope. "Any idea who this is?"

She read the number before her eyes widened. "...That's Spencer."

He smirked, putting up a finger and walking to the back room, closing the door behind him and answering. "Hello?"

There was a pause before Spencer spoke. "...Derek?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"It's um, Spencer, your thrice-daily venti white chocolate mocha with whip and chocolate drizzle. This is going to sound odd, but I found this number written on the side of my coffee cup-"

He smiled. "Really? That _is_ odd."

"Yeah, I think you should really be looking out where you're putting your phone number, Derek, you don't want it getting into the wrong hands."

Derek blinked a few times before swallowing. "...Yeah, I guess I do."

"I should get going to class." Spencer hung up and Derek sighed, walking back out and tucking the phone into his pocket.

"So how'd it go?" Penelope asked.

He gripped the counter. "You could've told me he doesn't catch on to the blatantly obvious."

She laughed softly. "Then what fun would this whole escapade be for me? How bad was it?"

"'I should really be looking out where I'm putting my phone number, I don't want it getting into the wrong hands'," he recited.

She bit her lip to hold back another laugh before patting him on the shoulder. "Oh, sweetness, I'm so sorry. Now my advice? Don't be an ass, _and_ don't be an idiot."

"Consider it received." He sighed, and once Penelope wasn't looking, took out his phone and saved Spencer as a contact.

* * *

Derek decided to wait a few days before he tried to talk to Spencer again, mainly because Penelope was still mocking him for the 'phone number on the cup' trick he tried and failed. This gave him time to think about what he was going to do next. He tried not charging Spencer for his drink, but with his genius brain, he immediately figured it out and walked right back to the counter, handing Derek his credit card and insisting that he charge him for the drink. Not knowing what else to do, Derek apologized and charged him, though only for a smaller drink for the 'inconvenience'. He wore a shirt that he assumed was Spencer's favorite color, because he always came in wearing the color purple. Spencer barely even looked up at him during the transaction and this method proved to be absolutely pointless. He tried a few classic pick-up lines on him, but every last one of them fell on deaf ears.

It was obvious to him that Spencer didn't take to flirting well, or he didn't understand it, which meant any of his traditional ways to get a date were out the window. He also knew he couldn't do anything too outrageous, because he'd probably scare Spencer away, and that's the last thing he wanted to do. When it finally came to him, he couldn't believe how long it took his brain to figure out.

* * *

Spencer was sitting in a corner, his laptop plugged in and several books in front of him on the table, along with a notebook he was using to take all of his notes. Derek noticed that when he got stuck or before he'd look for an answer, he'd toy with his glasses and spin his now-empty cup around until he would remember what he wanted, and in his 'a-ha!' moment, he'd slam the cup down and apologetically look around before writing. He rarely referred to his laptop and seemed to be most comfortable with his notes and textbooks.

Penelope elbowed him in the side. "I can _hear_ you thinking about him over at my register. Will you just _do_ something already?"

He wrung his hands. "Maybe, I don't know. Just need to break the ice."

She set a cup in front of him. "I _accidentally_ made a venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, and I'd hate for it to go to waste."

He gave her a smile, picking it up. "You are a _goddess_, woman."

"Tell me something I don't know." She winked and nudged him. "Go."

"Are you all set up here, or-"

She moved her hands to shoo him away. "I've got it. Go."

He walked over to Spencer's table, setting the cup beside Spencer's hand.

Spencer paused, putting down his pen and looking at the cup, before glancing up at Derek. "...I didn't order this."

"No, but Penelope thought you could use a little something to distract you because you're working your ass off over here."

He smiled slightly, taking a sip and setting it down. "Thank you. Could I ask you something?"

He gripped the back of the chair across from Spencer. "Sure."

"...Are you on a break right now?"

He motioned toward the mostly empty shop. "Pretty much. Why, what's up?"

"I really hate to ask, but I could really use someone reading over this essay and telling me if it makes sense or if I should start over from my opening paragraph. Whoever told professors that an essay should count as 20% of a grade is really on my bad side right now."

"Okay, maybe caffeine was a bad choice for you," Derek joked, but when he saw no reaction from Spencer, shook his head and sat down across from him. "Let me see it."

Spencer chewed on his cheek before clicking his pen and picking up his notebook, going back several pages and holding it out to Derek. "It's just a first draft, so if there are any problems, don't feel bad pointing them out."

"I'm sure it's fine." He leaned back in his chair, reading every single word and taking in every last bit of information, so he could give his full attention to this for him.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that Derek set down the notebook, running a hand over his scalp. "Oh, wow."

Spencer winced slightly. "I can take it."

Derek shook his head. "No, kid, there's nothing to take. That draft is legitimately perfect. I couldn't find an error, a misspelling, or even a comma out of place."

Spencer gave him a small smile, picking up the notebook. "It's not done. I need to work on the final paragraph, then type it up and e-mail it to my professor."

"Seriously, all you need to do is finish that closing paragraph and type it, because it's perfect."

"Thank you," Spencer said, blushing slightly. "That means a lot."

"Stressing over your full-boat?" Derek asked, leaning forward.

Spencer chuckled. "Is it that obvious?"

Derek laughed softly. "Only because I was just as bad. I had an athletic scholarship and had to keep my GPA up to stay on the football team, so while all my buddies were partying and joining fraternities, I was in my dorm, working my ass off to get everything done. And let me tell you, I wasn't even half as smart as you are, so I needed to devote as much time as possible to it."

"I'm sure you weren't that bad..."

"You'd be surprised. Though I worked hard, I was a serial procrastinator and would only stress myself out more. I actually ended up faking injuries in practices so I could go to the library and finish studying."

Spencer chewed on his cheek. "So, you were a jock? Or are you still in sports?"

He clicked his tongue. "Afraid not. I ended up blowing out my knee in the big game senior year. Luckily, they pitied me and let me keep my scholarship."

"I'm sorry…"

He shrugged. "What fun would the NFL have been? Millions of dollars, endorsement deals, fame… it's overrated."

Spencer smirked. "Oh yes, I'm sure you would've definitely hated it and much prefer the life of a barista," he said, before turning his attention to the computer.

During an awkward silence, Derek turned around to face Penelope at the counter, and she groaned, mouthing _Do it_!

He cleared his throat. "So, Spencer…"

He raised an eyebrow, looking away from his laptop and fixing his glasses. "...Yes?"

Chewing on his cheek and wringing his hands, he tried to think of the right way to phrase it. "Are you up to anything this weekend?"

Spencer motioned toward the textbooks in front of him. "This and _every_ weekend."

"Homework all weekend... how many classes are you taking? Isn't four considered full-time?"

Spencer nodded. "It is, but I'm taking six, hoping I can graduate early."

He exhaled. "That's ambitious."

He shrugged slightly. "It keeps me busy." He looked up at Derek, confused. "Wait...why did you ask what I'm doing this weekend?"

Derek paused. "Well, I just figured, you know, the two of us could make some plans, get to know each other a little better."

"You're my barista, why would I need to know you better?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing.

"...Derek, are you alright? Do you need an aspirin? I have a few in my bag." He reached over, picking up his bag and opening it, digging through.

He shook his head, clearing his throat. "No, I just… I thought that maybe we could go out some time, just the two of us." He chanced a look at Spencer. "Maybe a movie or dinner or something?"

Spencer seemed to think about it. "...Can I ask you something without you judging me?"

"Sure?"

He straightened up, biting his lip, before lowering his voice. "Are you asking me out on a _date_?"

Trying to avoid the surprise in Spencer's voice, he nodded, sighing. "And obviously, it's not going very well."

"Listen, Derek," Spencer started, tapping his fingers on the table.

Derek winced, bracing himself for a rejection.

"I'm sure you're a _really_ nice guy and a pleasure to date, but-"

"Just to venture a guess, I'm not your type?"

Spencer scoffed. "...Are you kidding? I'm surprised I'm _your_ type. Now, could I finish?"

Derek put up his hands. "Sorry, go on."

He exhaled, motioning toward his textbooks. "I have a _lot_ on my plate right now and I really don't think I can juggle dating on top of everything I need to do for school. I'd be happy to reconsider your offer after the semester's over."

Derek sighed, feeling defeated. He licked his lips and nodded at Spencer. "It was good talking to you. Good luck with your work." He got up, pushing his chair in, before turning around and walking back behind the counter.

Penelope nudged him. "So, how did it go?"

He gave her a thumbs down and stuck his tongue out.

"Oh come on, it couldn't be that bad."

"I talked to him, we got along, I didn't make an ass of myself, I eventually got right to the point… and I was met with a big, fat rejection."

She gasped. "No!"

He nodded. "Yep," he said, popping the 'p' and leaning back, groaning. "God, I'm an _idiot_."

She sighed, squeezing his shoulder. "On the brightside, you have another three hours of working with me?"

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, at least I have that."

Not long after, Spencer packed up his books into his bag, followed by his laptop. He put his bag over his shoulder and threw away his cup.

Derek saw him walking toward the counter and turned to Penelope. "...I'm going to go count inventory or something. I can _not_ do more embarrassment today."

"Come on, he's probably just saying bye..." she tried to reason.

"I gotta go," he said quickly before he turned around, walking to the back room and closing the door, burying his head in his hands.

Penelope walked back a few minutes later, pulling at his arm. "Derek, he wants to talk to you."

"...What?"

She nodded, motioning toward the counter. "He said he wants to talk to you before he leaves. Are you really going to make him wait?"

He sighed, shaking his head and walking out, Penelope close behind him.

"Penelope, could we have a minute?" Spencer asked, gripping the strap of his bag and chewing on his cheek.

She nodded. "Of course. I'll go finish the counts Derek started," she said, winking at Derek before patting his shoulder and walking out.

"Another coffee?" Derek asked, stepping toward the register.

Spencer shook his head. "Anymore and I'm pretty sure I won't be sleeping tonight _or_ tomorrow. I actually wanted to ask you something, if that's alright."

"...Okay."

He cleared his throat, looking down at his feet and sighing before looking up at Derek. "I was thinking about what you said earlier, you know, your proposal for us to have plans, or if you'd prefer to call it, a 'date'."

"I know I was way out of line asking you, and I'm sorry."

Spencer shook his head again. "You weren't, but I have a lot to do and can't put my focus on multiple things."

"...So you said."

Spencer bit his lip. "But I would like to go out with you… with a certain condition, if that's okay."

Derek lit up. "...I'm listening."

"I need you to accommodate my schedule." He reached in his pocket, taking out a folded piece of notebook paper and handing it to him. "Those are my classes and study times."

Derek eyed the piece of paper before shaking his head, handing it back to him. "I would much rather you choose the time and place, that way I'm not stepping on your toes or trying to squeeze my way into your life."

He paused for a second before nodding, taking the paper and stuffing it into his pocket. "So it's okay with you?"

"It's more than okay with me."

Spencer smiled at him, reaching for a napkin and holding it out to Derek. "I'm going to need your phone number."

"Lose the coffee cup?" Derek joked, taking out his Sharpie and writing it down, handing it to him.

"Yes, oddly enough, I threw it away when I was done." He read the number and tucked the napkin into his pocket. "I'll be in touch."

"I'll be waiting."

Spencer blushed again, waving to Penelope as she walked out, and he took his car keys out of his pocket, walking out to the parking lot.

She turned to Derek. "And what was that?"

"_That_ was Spencer Reid agreeing to date me."

She smirked. "And once again, the Derek Morgan charm reigns supreme. Let me guess, my advice _worked_?"

"It helped a _bit_."

She scoffed. "Yeah, a _bit_ my ass. You're welcome."


	3. Exhibition

From that point on, it was a waiting game for Derek. When Spencer came in, he didn't want to pressure him into anything and scare him away, so he just had to act like it was the farthest thing from his mind. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't hiding it very well, and Penelope liked to poke fun at the fact that he was waiting for a guy to call him, instead of him being the one to do the calling.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, putting the milk away. "Us going out together completely depends on _his_ schedule. He knows mine, I don't know his. His school work needs to come first, and I respect that."

"Do you really?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Having been in his shoes, yes, I do really." He walked past her to grab a sleeve of lids, restocking them.

"... Let's say it takes him a month, maybe even two, to come to you with plans. You're really going to be okay with that?"

He shrugged. "If that's what it takes, then yes."

"Oh boy, do you have it bad. What would Momma Morgan say if she saw her baby this lovesick?"

"...She'd probably be taking your approach and telling me to just ask him out, despite what he wants from the situation, but then when she meets him and sees the kind of person he is, would reprimand me for pushing him into it."

She giggled. "I already love your mom and I haven't even met her yet."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm glad you like her."

She pointed to the apron around his waist. "...Is your phone on full blast _and_ in your apron right now?"

"Why, are you going to write me up?" he asked.

She shook her head, scoffing. "As if. Just curious if you're that level of desperate yet."

He took out his phone, showing it to her. "Just vibrate. And before you go there, no innuendos."

She frowned. "Spoilsport."

* * *

It wasn't until the next weekend, when Derek was sitting at home with Clooney, that his phone started ringing. Hoping it wasn't his mother or Penelope, he dug it out of his pocket and checked the screen. Seeing Spencer's phone number on the display, he smiled to himself, answering.

"Hello?" he said, leaning back on the couch and running his fingers through Clooney's fur.

"Derek?"

"Yeah, who's this?" he asked.

"Sorry, I suppose I should've started with that. It's Spencer, from the coffee shop? You um, you said I could call you when I wasn't too busy with schoolwork. Is this a bad time?"

"No, not at all. What's up, kid?"

He cleared his throat. "I was wondering if I could, well, if we could possibly meet up tonight?"

He checked the time on his cable box. "Yeah, sure, what time?"

"Well, I have to go to the art museum for their night time exhibit and take notes for my Art History course. I know, it's schoolwork and it's probably not what you want to do with your Saturday night, but I need to get this assignment done and I figure maybe we can grab something to eat after I finish? If it's not something you want to do, I understand completely and I won't be offended, and I can just wait to ask you to do something again when it doesn't have to do with my coursework?"

He smiled to himself, finding his rambling cute. "I'm okay with that. What kind of exhibit are we talking here?"

"I'm not sure you'll find it too entertaining, not to say that you have no interest in the arts, but even I find it to be a bit dull. It's all Impressionism, so there's going to be a lot of Monet, Degas, and Renoir. Admission is free on Saturday nights, so it won't cost you anything."

Derek clicked his tongue. "I think I could do that. Do you want me to meet at your place, at the museum, or what?"

"I actually, I didn't think of that." He paused for a minute, Derek assumed to think it over. "Can you meet me at the art museum, maybe around 5:00?"

"Yeah, no problem. Should I bring anything?"

"I didn't think about that either," he cleared his throat before speaking again. "I'm just going to be taking notes for class, so I'll be bringing my bag and a notebook, so… just bring yourself, I guess?"

He laughed softly. "Sounds great, I'll see you then."

"Yeah, see you then."

Spencer hung up and Derek smirked, calling Penelope.

"I swear to God, Derek, if you're calling me to pick up a shift while it's ladies' night at the bar-"

"Definitely not, sweetness, but I _did_ just get a phone call."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do continue."

"From a certain patron of our fine work establishment."

"...Did his name happen to be Spencer Reid?"

He smirked. "It did, and he asked me out on a date tonight."

"Seriously?! Like, seriously. He's _actually_ going out with you?"

"...You sound surprised. Did you think it would never happen?"

"No, it's just… wow. _How_?"

He shrugged. "He has to do an assignment for school at the museum, then we're going out to dinner. I think that qualifies as 'going out', don't you?"

"Oh yes, indeed. And I need to grab JJ tonight, because she owes me twenty bucks and a drink."

"...And why would Spencer's neighbor owe you when you _haven't_ talked about this to anyone but me?"

She sighed. "I may have kind of made a bet with her about Spencer getting a date this semester?"

"...You did this knowing that I was going to ask him out?"

"...No, we made this bet after the first time you met him. I didn't know you'd actually get a date with him… I just sort of hoped you would." She cleared her throat. "So… are you going to give me details Monday morning at work?"

"Maybe. We'll see, just don't go making anymore bets or sharing any details, got it?"

She groaned loudly. "Fine! Though I can't be held responsible for what Drunk Penelope says tonight."

"Drunk Penelope had better have a little bit of censorship if Sober Penelope wants to know _anything_."

"Fine!" she snapped again.

"I'll see you first thing Monday morning."

"See you then, loverboy."

He shook his head, hanging up and checking the time again, realizing he had enough time to shower, get dressed, and be early to the museum. Knowing this was the best option, he patted Clooney a few times before getting up, walking toward his bedroom.

* * *

Derek stood outside of the museum, his hands in his pockets, pacing. He couldn't remember ever being _this_ nervous for a date before, and couldn't imagine _why_ it was this stressful for him. He thought it could possibly be the fact that he didn't make the plans, or maybe that he _really_ liked Spencer and didn't know how to express it without scaring him away. The only thing he was certain of was that he wouldn't be stood up, because Spencer needed to do this for his schoolwork, and that obviously always came first to him.

When he saw Spencer approaching, he stood up straight, taking his hands out of his pockets and crossing his arms.

Spencer walked up to him, fixing his glasses. "Sorry, the buses were running late."

"...If you needed a ride, I could've picked you up?" Derek offered. "I'm sure you weren't too far out of the way and I wouldn't have minded."

He shook his head. "It's fine, I'm used to it." He adjusted the strap on his bag, clearing his throat and motioning toward the museum. "Shall we?"

"Sure thing." He felt a buzz in his pocket and checked his phone to see a message from Penelope.

_According to JJ, he hasn't been on a whole lot of dates, be careful with him please!_

He rolled his eyes, responding.

_Don't worry, sweetness. I'll be good._

Tucking his phone in his pocket, he turned to Spencer. "Sorry. Ready?"

Spencer nodded, walking inside, Derek close behind.

"I think the exhibit is on the third floor and to the left," Spencer said, walking toward the stairs.

Derek pointed to the elevators to their right. "...You do realize we can just take one of those up?"

"Considering there are several thousand elevator related injuries reported every year, as well as some deaths, I feel safer taking the stairs. If you'd like I can give you the numbers, but if you really want to take the elevator, I can meet you up there?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind, stairs it is." He followed Spencer over, taking the steps slowly. "So, do you do a lot of morbid research, or are you just one of those 'I know a lot of things' guys?" he asked.

Spencer smiled slightly. "I'm one of those 'I know a lot of things' guys," he confirmed. "Considering I've retained everything I've ever read and my fast reading speed, it's no surprise I know so much." He turned to Derek. "Turn-off?"

"More like endearing," Derek assured him, giving him a smile. "So you remember _everything_?"

"Pretty much. I could recite your entire menu board right now without even having to think about it, as well as the specials you've written on the chalkboard stand outside every day, despite the fact I've only ever ordered the one kind of drink."

He raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Wow. So, when are you going to break out of the sugar coma and order a regular drink, since you know everything?"

"When the semester slows down and I don't need it to keep me alert."

"...So once the semester's over?"

"Pretty much."

"Come on, not even _one_ little drink swap?"

He thought about it and shrugged. "Okay, maybe switching out _one_ drink a week."

"I'll consider that a victory. So, Art History?"

"It was an elective that wasn't going to bore me to tears. I tried other electives, finished all of the coursework, and just sat in the classrooms bored for the rest of the semester. I'd have to explain to my professors that I wasn't a bad student and not being attentive because I didn't care, but because I'd already retained all of the information. Luckily, some of them understood and only had me come in for tests."

"Trust me, I wish I had your skills when I was in school. I worked my ass off and only pulled a B average in most classes, _if_ I was lucky."

Spencer smiled. "It's a gift and a curse." He got up the last stair and started fishing his notebook out of his bag. "I don't know if you're interested, but while I'm taking notes, I could maybe tell you about the artist, based on my knowledge, make it a little more insightful, and once we finish here, we can go out to dinner?"

Derek smiled, nodding. "Sounds great."

* * *

It turned out that Spencer knew more about the artists than the cards the museum provided. Derek would read the basics beforehand, and while taking notes, Spencer was able to tell him the history of the artist, as well as details about their life and how they came to work in that style of painting. He'd occasionally peek over at Spencer's notebook and read his notes, and saw that he was not only analyzing the painting, but going into his own details about them.

"Not to be rude, but you _do_ realize you can just Google the paintings later to look at them and do the analysis, right?"

Spencer shrugged, his eyes still on his notebook as he took notes. "I find this method easier. I remember everything I've ever read, and sometimes, my mind will remember things I've seen, so I can just recall the painting. Besides, the more I write down now, the less I have to type up later."

"So when's the paper due?"

"Next Thursday. Today was the only day admission was free, and being a college student, 'free' is pretty much my favorite price."

Derek laughed softly. "Free is pretty much _everyone's_ favorite price."

"So what were you like in college?" Spencer asked, looking up at the painting one last time before finishing his notes.

"You really want to know?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why else I'd ask?"

He thought about it. "I was pretty much the nerdiest jock on campus. I worked my ass off on the field, and when I wasn't at practice, I was studying or writing my papers or meeting up with a tutor."

"You admitted to needing a tutor?"

"Definitely. I'm not a super genius who can remember everything I've ever read, and I needed a little help. Coach ended up telling me I was the only one to admit I had trouble and needed it to keep my GPA up."

Spencer smiled slightly. "Pretty impressive. I used to tutor in the spare time I had, and let me tell you, I would've killed for an athlete to actually care about their grades."

"I take it that didn't go well?"

"I either ended up being stood up, they came to one meeting and then gave up, or in my high school days, I'd end up with my head in a toilet or in a garbage can."

"...You're kidding me."

He shook his head, clicking his pen. "Jocks haven't improved from the stereotypes in 1980's movies."

"Well, I'm sorry?" Derek offered.

"Why, did you take all of their brain cells so they couldn't come up with an _original_ way to deal with a nerd?"

"No, not exactly-"

"And besides, I'll be getting my revenge when they amount to nothing in life."

He chuckled. "Very nice. Let me guess, they'll amount to nothing, and you'll be making it big?"

"You said it, I didn't." He stuffed his notebook into his bag, turning to Derek. "Ready to go?"

"We're done?"

"I've taken notes on pretty much everything I could to make it a five page paper."

"...But you've only seen three paintings."

"Exactly."

He smiled, shaking his head. "Perfect. Where to?"

Spencer adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat. "Well, I know of a restaurant right off campus we could go to, if you'll take a suggestion? If not, since I controlled the first half of the night, you can pick?"

Derek took his car keys out of his pocket. "Be my GPS and lead the way."

* * *

Spencer ended up leading Derek to a diner, which was just a few blocks away from campus.

He looked out the window, smirking. "Your kind of place, kid?"

He shrugged. "When I can't survive on coffee house food, I come here. It's good food, reasonably priced, and great service. If you'd like to go somewhere else, feel free to drive there, I just thought this would be a good idea."

"Whatever works for you." He took his keys out of the ignition, stuffing them into his pocket before unbuckling himself and getting out. "So is this where you run to when you're not at the coffee house at your regularly scheduled times?"

Spencer laughed softly. "Possibly. Here or attempting to study in the library, but that usually just gets frustrating and I give up and go to the coffee house."

"I can imagine." He walked up to the restaurant and held the door open for Spencer, following him inside.

After placing their orders, they sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Spencer, Derek deduced, was more likely than not going over the facts about the museum exhibit in his head and formatting his paper for when he got home and could type it up. Derek, however, was thinking about something Spencer had said earlier.

"...So you have a really good memory?" Derek asked.

Spencer nodded. "Eidetic. I remember everything I've ever read."

Derek nodded and thought about it before he clicked his tongue. "Interesting."

"...I believe we already established that?" he said, stirring the straw around in his drink before taking another sip.

Derek shook his head. "Not that."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"

"...You asked for my phone number a couple of weeks ago," Derek pointed out, leaning back and crossing his arms.

Spencer looked at him, confused. "...Yes, I did, so I could call you and make the plans for tonight. Hence why we went to the museum and are now at dinner?"

Derek smirked. "But you remember everything you've ever read."

"...As you said less than a minute ago?"

Derek tapped his fingers on his arm. "If you do, in fact, remember everything you've ever read, you'd remember that I gave you my phone number on that coffee cup, every single digit, especially considering you called me, and more likely than not, read it on your phone anytime you went to your recent calls, and quite possibly saved it to your contacts."

Spencer coughed slightly, clearing his throat and pushing his drink aside. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that you asked for my phone number just so you could keep a conversation going with me."

He quickly shook his head. "No, that's not the case at all…"

"Uh huh. I will pay for this meal and your coffee for a _week_ if you can prove to me that contact information wasn't saved the day I wrote my number on that coffee cup," Derek said, leaning forward on his elbows and grinning. "Care to take that bet?"

Spencer chewed on his cheek, before smiling, holding up his phone. "Unfortunately, I don't have a smartphone, so _unfortunately_, you won't be able to check." He clicked his tongue. "How unfortunate."

Derek chuckled. "Yeah, _unfortunate_."

"What about you?" Spencer asked. "Did you save my number in your phone after I called?"

"I'm not the one in the hot seat with the super memory," Derek responded.

Spencer rolled his eyes. "_Right_."

Judging by the smile that followed, Derek could tell he was kidding around, and it felt good to know that he could relieve some of Spencer's stress and get him to loosen up a bit. On their second date, if there ever would be one, Derek would be sure to take him out and let him have some actual fun for a change, not involving schoolwork, because he really liked his smile and wanted to see more of it.

* * *

Derek noticed the slight blush in Spencer's cheeks. "What?"

He quickly shook his head. "Nothing."

"It's flattering that you had my number saved. And besides, you're not alone."

Spencer looked at him, curious. "Excuse me?"

Derek took his phone out of his pocket, looking through and setting his phone in front of Spencer. "I saved your number too."

Spencer leaned over, checking the screen and seeing his name. "So it's not just me?"

"Definitely not. It's been there since you called me."

"...Since I called you this morning?" Spencer asked, pushing the phone back toward him.

"Not quite," he started, tucking the phone back into his pocket. "Since my failed attempt at flirting when I put my number on the coffee cup."

"..._That_ was flirting?"

"I admit, it wasn't my best, but desperation makes a guy resort to _anything_-"

"No, it's not that," Spencer said, clearing his throat, "it's just… I didn't notice." He bit his lip. "With my intelligence, it's all booksmarts… I'm really not, for lack of a better term, real world savvy."

"I'd be happy to introduce you to the real world and how it works," Derek offered.

Spencer smiled slightly. "We'll see how tonight goes."

* * *

After they ate, Derek reached into his pocket and took out his wallet.

Spencer shook his head. "You don't have to pay. I dragged you to the museum, it's the least I could do."

"Don't sweat it, I enjoyed the museum and your way of going about it. Besides, it's just a diner. I don't mind."

"Come on, you didn't _really_ enjoy it-"

"No, I did!" Derek argued. "It was really fun and it was so much better to have you there to explain everything."

Spencer chewed on his cheek, running his credit card through his fingers. "I'll tell you what… we'll make a deal."

"...I'm listening?"

"I'll pay for this meal, and you could pay for the potential next one," Spencer reasoned. "Since I ran the 'date', if it could be called that, it's only fair that I pay."

"If you want to call it 'fair', okay." He tucked his credit card back into his wallet, pointing to Spencer's hand. "Having fun?"

He nodded, handing the card to the waitress when she came over. "Idle hands make me nervous, so I always need to do something with them. It's why I'm always tapping my fingers, and why I took up magic as a kid."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "_Magic_?"

"I know, it's not the most _popular_ thing I could do-"

"No, I actually think that's pretty cool."

Spencer scoffed. "No, you don't."

"I do," Derek insisted as the waitress set the bill and receipts in front of Spencer. "I never had the patience to learn anything like that, I actually find it kind of fascinating."

Spencer signed the receipt, writing down the tip and total before closing it, putting his card back into his wallet. "If you've got a few minutes, you can come back to my place and I can show you a few tricks."

Derek knew that he wasn't used to dating or modern day terminology, but he kept himself from laughing at how that sentence sounded. He took his keys out of his pocket, getting up and pulling his jacket on. "Let's go then."

* * *

Spencer gave Derek turn-by-turn directions to his place, and when they were walking inside, he swore he saw someone, JJ he assumed, peeking through the curtains. Brushing it off, he followed him, walking into his apartment. He took it all in: he actually had a decent sized apartment, considering he was a broke college student. It had a few rooms to it, one of which seemed to include a library or office.

Spencer pulled off his jacket, hanging it up by the door. "Can I get you anything, a drink maybe?"

Derek shook his head. "I'm fine. Nice place."

He shrugged slightly. "It's something. My dad, in an attempt to make up for his abandonment, decided that since I got a full-boat, the least he could do was get me a good place."

"...He thought a good apartment would erase his abandonment?"

"I never said my father was intelligent… or decent." He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "I really don't want to spend the rest of the night talking about him. New subject?"

Derek nodded. "Sure. Magic tricks?" he suggested, sitting on the couch.

Spencer laughed softly. "Come on, you don't really want to see me do magic tricks."

"If I didn't want to, why would I be here?" Derek asked.

Spencer looked at him, to see if he was being genuine. "...And this isn't some sort of joke?"

"Of course not. I _really_ want you to show me a few things."

Spencer stood there for a minute, most likely to gauge his reaction, before putting up a finger. "Just give me a minute." He walked to his room, grabbing a box and walking back out, setting it on the table. "What would you like to see?"

He shrugged. "Anything."

Over the next hour, Spencer showed Derek several of his best tricks, and Derek enjoyed every single one. He saw Spencer getting more and more comfortable with him as he did more of them, and he had to admit, he liked seeing Spencer slowly open up to him. After a while, Spencer checked his watch and saw that it was getting late.

"Want me to get going?" Derek asked, checking his phone and seeing that it was nearly midnight.

"I don't want to seem like I'm kicking you out, but I want to write the paper based on the exhibit while it's still fresh on my mind, and I just-"

Derek shook his head. "No need to explain." He got up, pulling on his jacket. "I'll see you at the shop on Monday?"

"Mhm." Spencer stood up. "I'll show you out." He walked Derek down the hall, chewing on his cheek. "I had a great time tonight," he said, crossing his arms.

"I did too. Good luck writing your paper," Derek told him, reaching in his pocket and taking out his keys. "If you want to talk at all, my phone's going to be on."

He nodded slightly, clearing his throat and waving to Derek. Derek took that as his sign to leave and turned around, opening the door and walking outside.

"...Hey, Derek?" Spencer asked softly.

Derek turned around to face him. "What's up?"

Spencer bit his lip before stepping outside, resting a hand on each of Derek's cheeks and pulling him in for a kiss. Derek leaned in, wrapping his arms around Spencer's waist. It wasn't the most perfect first kiss they could've had, but for Spencer initiating, he was going to take it.

Spencer pulled back, biting his lip and looking up at Derek, blushing. "So, I'll see you Monday?"

Derek smiled, nodding. "See you Monday." He leaned in, kissing his cheek, before walking out to his car and getting in, starting it. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out, checking his messages.

_What is this I hear about your night ending at Spencer's place?_

He rolled his eyes, looking over at the window and waving to JJ before starting his car, smirking when she immediately closed the curtain.

_I'll tell you all about it on Monday._

After sending his response, he buckled his seatbelt, driving home.

* * *

Derek woke up the following morning with a grin on his face. The previous night had been a great first date, one of the most personal ones he'd ever been on. He'd done movies and things of the such, but nothing had ever included so much conversation and getting to know one another. He sat up, running a hand over his scalp, before reaching for his phone and checking his messages. There had been one from Spencer last night around 1:30, with a picture of his completed paper, along with a message.

Thanks for joining me tonight, I had a great time.

He smiled to himself, lying back on his bed, and hoping the two of them could have another date sometime soon.


	4. Walls

At work on Monday morning, Derek had to divulge every detail of his night with Spencer to Penelope.

"So you went back to his place? I never thought he'd be the type."

He shook his head, tucking his Sharpie behind his ear. "He's not. He was showing me some of his magic tricks."

"...Is that a euphemism for something, or-"

"It means he showed me his magic tricks, literally, for about an hour."

"So _no_ hanky panky?"

He smirked, shaking his head. "Nope, though the night did end with a kiss on his part."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Anything to do with you?"

He shrugged. "I was on my way out, he stopped me, he kissed me, and after that, I told him I'd see him today, kissed his cheek, and went to the car."

"That's rather un-romantic of you."

He shrugged. "I didn't want to move too fast and scare him off. He was obviously nervous about the concept of dating, so I commend him for even doing it."

"Trust me, so do I. I've known him for years and relationships _really_ aren't his thing, mainly because he doesn't know what he's supposed to do." She nudged his arm. "So is anything going to be different today with you two?"

"I don't know, maybe? I just have to beg of you not to make him more nervous than he already is, because I actually _want_ a second date."

She scoffed. "_Fine_, but when the time comes, I'm planning your wedding."

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, sweetness."

* * *

When Spencer finally came in, it was during the rush, so he didn't have time to talk to him. He had gone to Penelope's register, but he thought nothing of it, considering she had a shorter line and they were busy. While they were cleaning up after the morning rush, Penelope leaned against the counter, crossing her arms.

"Was there a date disaster you failed to tell me about?" she asked.

He shook his head, restocking the cups. "Everything went well, and I told you all of it, why?"

She shrugged. "No reason, I just found it interesting that he didn't gravitate to your line."

"You always have less of a line than I do. He was probably in a rush to get to class so he could get a good seat or something."

"If you insist."

Once her back was turned, he took out his phone, texting Spencer.

_Hope you have a good day at school, I'm sure your teacher's going to appreciate your paper being done early._

He tucked his phone back into his pocket, cleaning the counter in front of him.

* * *

Later in the day, Spencer came in after his last class, his bag over his shoulder. He walked over to a table, setting it down on a chair, before walking to the counter, hands in his pockets.

Derek looked up at him, smiling. "Hey, good day?" he asked, reaching for a cup and writing Spencer's order on it.

He shrugged. "My phone went off in my first class. I usually keep notification sounds on because I never get messages, so imagine the look on my professor's face when the Doctor Who theme song started playing in my pocket."

Penelope bit down on her lip to keep from laughing while Derek's eyes widened. "I am _so_ sorry, I didn't even think about it. I just figured since we didn't get to talk yesterday or this morning-"

Spencer put up his hand. "Coffee?"

Penelope held out her hand for his credit card while Derek made his drink. He handed it to him with another apology and watched as he walked back to the table, putting his bag over his shoulder and walking out.

"...I thought you said he stayed until he got his homework done?" Derek asked, turning to her.

"He usually does. Maybe he doesn't have any today and got it done yesterday, hence why you two didn't talk?"

"Maybe? I have never dated somebody this… complex before."

She chuckled. "Welcome to the puzzle that is Spencer Reid. I've yet to solve him."

* * *

It had been a few days of the same thing: when Spencer came in, he would automatically gravitate to Penelope's line, even if Derek had the shorter line and wasn't as busy. When Derek would look over and acknowledge him with a comment, Spencer would just nod and immediately go back to his conversation with Penelope, tuning him out. When he would come in to do his homework, he'd get his drink and just sit at a table, and if Derek approached him, he found an excuse to head out, such as a 'study group' or a 'forgotten notebook', which Derek saw right through, considering he couldn't forget anything even if he tried.

Penelope turned to him, arms crossed. "What the hell did you not tell me about this date?"

"I told you everything!" he defended. "The museum, the dinner, playful flirting, the magic tricks at his apartment, me going to leave, him kissing me, and then I went home. Nothing that's so out of the ordinary that he'd ignore me for four days in a row except for one comment on Monday and some pity 'uh huh's when I asked if his day was going well."

She clicked her tongue. "And he initiated the kiss?"

"He did. He kissed me, he quite obviously meant it, we separated, agreed we'd see each other on Monday, I went home and he wrote his paper. He then sent me a picture of his completed paper later on, and I saw him here Monday mor-" he groaned, tilting his head back. "Oh, damnit."

"You did something wrong, didn't you?" she asked, tapping her fingers on the counter. "Come on, what is it?"

"I think _maybe_ he might be kind of upset that I didn't message him back on Sunday, and the only time I did text him, it got him in trouble in class? Other than that, I've got nothing."

"That might be it. He's new to the whole 'dating' scene, and if you didn't message him back, he could've taken that _very_ badly." She chewed on her cheek and checked the clock. "You're out of here in 30, right?"

He checked his watch, nodding. "Indeed."

"And it just so happens you worked through your lunch today."

He raised an eyebrow. "And you're getting at…?"

She put up a finger. "Bear with me. If you have yet to take your break, that means you need to clock out for a half hour. Since you're due to leave in a half hour, you could take your break and leave a half hour early. With that time, you could beat tonight's traffic and go check on Spencer and see what it is you did wrong, fix whatever needs to be fixed, and _possibly_ even set up for date number two."

He thought to himself before smirking, untying his apron. "You are a _goddess_, woman," he whispered, kissing her cheek, before going to the back and hanging up his apron, stuffing his things into his pocket. He walked back out, standing in front of the register. "And if he's not here?"

"If he's not here, he's definitely not at the library, because he comes here when the library's too loud. If I had to put money on it? He's holed up in the study in his apartment."

"...He has a study in his apartment and he still chooses to come here?" he asked, pulling on his jacket.

"I think it's for the ambiance of the coffee shop, though I'm sure the attractive barista doesn't hurt." She smirked, nudging his arm. "Go."

"And you're sure-"

"I'm all set here. I want you two to work out, and to do that, you need to fix whatever's going on. Now go."

He smiled appreciatively, taking his keys out of his pocket and walking out.

* * *

While driving to Spencer's apartment, he tried to think about what he needed to do to make things right again with them. None of his past relationships cared when he texted them, so long as he did, but he figured that maybe since Spencer wasn't really savvy to relationships, he might expect different things. He knew that with Spencer, it was going to be about taking baby steps, and he just needed the patience to do so.

He pulled up to Spencer's place, parking, and started on the walkway. Seeing someone in the yard nearby, he paused, turning to her.

"You're JJ, right?" he asked, tucking his keys into his pocket.

She nodded, getting up, wiping her hands off on her pants. "I'm guessing you're Derek?" Derek nodded and she wiped off a few more pieces of dirt and held out her hand. "Sorry, three year old boy with a love of bugs."

He laughed softly. "Don't sweat it." He shook her hand, pointing to Spencer's front door. "Is he home?"

She nodded, adjusting her hair tie. "Just got in a few minutes ago. Said hi to Henry, mumbled something about an essay, and walked inside. It's weird, he told me all about your date the other night, but he hasn't said a word about you or the date since."

He raised an eyebrow. "He told you about that?"

"Yeah," she smirked, "he'd kill me if I told you this, so between us? He had a really great time. Are you here to get him for date number two?"

"Actually, I'm here to get him to open up a little bit. Any advice?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "To deal with Spence? I still haven't figured him out, and I've known him for _years_. The only thing I can think of is the fact that you just need to be upfront with him: he doesn't catch on to subtlety or simple cues. Just put it all out there and he'll be honest with you."

"Noted, thanks. It was great to meet you."

"You too." She gave him a smile and a wave before kneeling back in the dirt, watching her son pick up bugs and worms.

He smirked, shaking his head and walking to Spencer's front door, knocking. He heard some stumbling on the other side of the door, and could only assume that Spencer had tripped over one of the many stacks of books that lined his hallway.

"JJ, I told you I'd come over later tonight, will you stop pestering me?" he snapped, unlocking the door and pulling it open. "...And you're not JJ."

"Sorry, I'm not. Do you mind if we talk?"

Spencer peeked outside and saw that JJ was out with Henry. He sighed, holding the door open. "Inside."

Derek raised an eyebrow but stepped into the apartment, considering it a small victory that Spencer hadn't slammed the door in his face.

"Did I leave something at the coffee shop?" Spencer asked. Derek looked him over and saw that he was in an oversized sweater, one he was pulling his arms into, his glasses, and his hair looked like he had been running his fingers through it.

He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "No, I just figured the two of us could talk. Can I sit?"

Spencer paused for a minute before motioning toward the couch. He walked over, sitting down, motioning for Spencer to do the same. Spencer sighed before nodding, sitting in the chair across from him, pulling his legs up on the cushion. "What brings you here?"

"A question, maybe even a observation, if you will."

Spencer looked at him, confused. "I'm listening."

"Why would two people go on an amazing date on a Saturday night, get along well, laugh at each other's jokes and enjoy each other's company, then just a few short days later, it's as if the other one doesn't exist?"

Spencer exhaled, chewing on his cheek, reaching up and adjusting his glasses. "I told you, Derek. I don't have time for a relationship. My studies come first. They always have and they always will. I'm dependent on my full boat scholarship, much like you were."

"I see, and I understand that completely. What doesn't make sense to me is the fact that you won't even wave a hand or say hello to me in the coffee shop after we had a pretty good date and a pretty great kiss for a first date."

Spencer smiled, blushing slightly at Derek's statement, before licking his lips. "It's complicated."

"Then un-complicate it for me," Derek stated, leaning back. "I've got all of the time in the world."

"I don't."

"Then just give me enough of an explanation that I don't feel like I royally fucked up with you, because I have to say, the cold shoulder isn't exactly telling me 'thanks for joining me while I did my assignment and then going out to dinner, I had a really great time'."

He cleared his throat, straightening up in his seat and staring at his lap for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts, before finally looking up at him. "You're going to think I'm ridiculous, possibly even juvenile."

"I highly doubt that, but I can't make that judgment until you tell me what's going on," Derek reasoned.

He exhaled, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I did have a great time on Saturday night, Derek, and I don't go around kissing people when I don't mean it. It takes a lot for me to let somebody in, and it should speak volumes that I legitimately let you in."

Derek didn't know what else to do, so he nodded his understanding.

"And I scared myself." He pulled his arms into his sleeves, sighing. "I thought maybe you didn't feel the same way I did afterward, and I didn't want to talk to you and feel like I was pressuring you into something. Like I said, it's ridiculous. Obviously you wouldn't be here if you didn't feel some sort of attraction to me as well." He paused, glancing up at Derek. "...Right?"

Derek gave him a small smile, nodding. "Right."

"I figured, very wrongly of course, that if I distanced myself from you, you would see that you weren't interested and were just still focused on Saturday night. I'm sorry." He looked Derek in the eyes, sighing. "I'm really, truly sorry."

Derek shook his head. "Don't sweat it. Believe me, I've done worse."

Spencer scoffed. "No offense meant, but I sincerely doubt that. You have amazing social skills, and I have the social skills of a baked potato."

He laughed softly. "First date ever, I refused to let him come to my house because I was afraid my mom and sisters would scare him away. The next guy I dated? I was so nervous I actually got a date with this guy that I literally got sick all over the front seat of his new convertible."

Spencer wrinkled his nose. "You've actually screwed up first dates, and you're not saying this to make me feel better?"

"No, man, I wish I was lying, and I'm pretty sure Davis wishes I was, because that interior looked like a bitch to clean."

Spencer bit down on his lip, struggling to put his thought process into words. "Hey, Derek?"

"What's up?"

He pulled his arms out of his sweater, fidgeting with his fingers. "If I were to ask you to go out with me again some time, would you accept, or turn me down?"

"That depends on if you ask me," Derek said, smirking.

He groaned. "So it's going to be like that."

"Oh yes it is."

Spencer sighed. "Derek Morgan, will you go out on another date with me some time, if I promise not to be a complete imbecile and actually talk to you afterward so you don't need to leave work early and come to my apartment to talk some sense into me?"

Derek raised his eyebrows. "That is the most oddly specific way that somebody has ever asked me out."

Spencer winced. "So is that a no?"

Derek grinned. "That is a 'definitely, just tell me where and when'."

* * *

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Derek cleared his throat. "Were you working on some homework? Should I go?"

Spencer thought it over before shaking his head. "I was actually just doing some light reading," he said, motioning toward the book on the table. "Killing some time before dinner."

Derek glanced at the table. "...You consider _War and Peace_ to be light reading?"

"Well, I have a quick reading speed, so I could finish the entire book in less than an hour."

He blinked a few times before looking back at Spencer. "You can read War and Peace in less than an hour?"

He nodded. "I guess you could say I have a bit of a gift."

"Man, what I would've given for _that_ in college," Derek mumbled, chuckling softly.

"Do you have anything you need to do tonight?" Spencer asked, tucking his legs underneath himself.

Derek thought to himself. "My neighbor already checked on Clooney during the day for me, so I don't need to be home for a few hours."

"...And who's Clooney?" Spencer asked, eyebrow raised.

"He's my dog. Picked him up at a pound when he was just a puppy. He's part pitbull and pretty much the biggest lover on the planet. I have my teenage neighbor stop in a few times a day to check on him, take him for a walk, play with him a bit so he doesn't get lonely." Spencer nodded his understanding before Derek looked at him, curious. "Why do you ask?"

"...Because I wanted to know who Clooney was?"

He shook his head. "Why did you ask if I had anything I needed to do tonight?"

Spencer licked his lips, clearing his throat. "I um, I have some dinner cooking, and I always cook too much, it's really a bad habit, because then I have leftovers and so much of it gets thrown away and it's such a shame when you're throwing away money, and-"

"Spencer?" Derek asked, cutting him off. "Are you inviting me to stay for dinner?"

"...I was trying to, anyway."

Derek laughed softly. "If you're inviting, I'm eating. What are we having?"

"I've been reading a lot of cookbooks lately, so I've been experimenting with different recipes. This is actually a chicken pot pie recipe I've wanted to do for a while, and I made an extra…"

Derek shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

There was a knock on the door a few minutes later and Spencer rolled his eyes, getting up.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, there's a neighbor who doesn't understand the boundaries of personal space or personal lives," he explained, walking over and opening the door. "Yes, JJ?"

She smirked. "Nice to see you too. Do you happen to have a band-aid? Henry's got one of his 'invisible' boo-boos and is demanding a band-aid for it, and Will's at the store, grabbing them right now."

He looked down at Henry. "Where's the invisible boo-boo?" Derek smiled to himself at the fact that the usual eloquent man was using a word like 'boo-boo'.

Henry held up his elbow, pointing to a spot without a single scratch or bruise. "There."

Spencer inspected it, chewing on his cheek. "I think this calls for a special band-aid. Come on in while I go grab it."

Henry stepped inside, clinging onto his mother's hand while Spencer moved past the piles of books to go to the bathroom and check his cabinet. "Who's he?" he asked, pointing to Derek.

JJ moved his finger. "Henry, it's rude to point." She looked at Derek apologetically, mouthing a sorry to him.

Derek put up his hand. "I've heard worse at the coffee shop, believe me." He walked over, squatting in front of Henry. "It's nice to meet you, little man. I'm Derek."

He blushed, burying his head into his mother's leg. JJ smiled. "Oh, _now_ you're a shy guy?"

Henry pointed to his arm. "You have a boo-boo too?"

Derek looked at the scrape on his arm. "Yeah, I was fixing up something at my house and scratched my arm."

"Uncle Spenner can kiss it better, he's good at that."

JJ cupped a hand over her mouth, holding back a laugh.

Henry looked at Spencer as he walked back. "Uncle Spenner, Derek has a boo-boo too."

"Does he?" He looked where Henry was pointing and smiled. "I guess so. What do you say, Henry, is this a robot fixer-upper, or a Spongebob?"

Henry thought to himself before pointing to the Spongebob. "That one's for me!"

He held out the band-aid to JJ. "Enjoy."

She smiled appreciatively, opening it and putting it on his arm. "Better?"

He nodded. "Much!" He turned to Spencer, waving. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He ruffled his hair, smiling.

JJ looked between the two of them. "I'll leave you two alone. Thanks again, Spence."

He gave her a thumbs up and closed the door after they left.

"You just so happen to keep a stock of kids' band-aids in your home?" Derek asked, getting up.

"I have Henry over a lot and it seemed like a good idea. Now," he held out the band-aid to Derek. "Henry will be _very_ offended if your boo-boo isn't taken care of, and I need to go check on the pot pies."

Derek took it from him, unwrapping it and putting it onto his arm. "How does it look?"

Spencer peeked over from the kitchen. "Positively juvenile."

"Exactly what I was going for."

* * *

"So," Derek asked, poking his fork around his plate. "Is Henry your nephew?"

Spencer shrugged, swallowing the food in his mouth. "Sort of? JJ found out I was an only child when she met me and unofficially made me her little brother, so if we're going by those terms, yes? I'm also his godfather."

"Pretty impressive." He unsuccessfully tried to pick up a pea with his fork before giving up, picking it up with his fingers.

Spencer smiled, motioning toward the band-aid on his arm. "How'd you do that to yourself anyway? Playing with Clooney?"

Derek shook his head, looking at the scrape. "The roughest Clooney gets is when we're playing tug-of-war with one of his toys. That's actually from brushing my arm against a board I hadn't sanded yet."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "So you're a handyman/barista?"

Derek laughed to himself. "Not quite. I went to college and it was a bust, so in my spare time when I'm not at the coffee shop, I buy broken down properties and renovate them. They're kind of my own DIY projects." He shrugged. "It's not reading or cooking, but it's a hobby."

"You actually do that?"

"Yeah, it started out with one property I fixed up, and I just loved it so much that I kept doing it to other places. It's amazing what people will sell a property for when they think it's crap."

"Do you sell them when you're done?" Spencer asked curiously, taking another bite.

"Usually, but I moved into my first one. Something about not being able to let the first one go, if that makes sense."

Spencer nodded. "It makes perfect sense. I think I'd like to see your work sometime."

"Just say the word."

Spencer stayed quiet before glancing at Derek again. "The word."

"Seriously?"

"You _did_ say 'say the word'..."

He smirked. "I guess so. Once we're done here, I'll drive you over."

* * *

While they were in the car, Derek motioned toward the radio. "All yours."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Derek shrugged. "I have to concentrate on the road and we can't always have awkward small talk to fill the voids. Go for it."

Spencer reached over, turning on the radio and going through the stations. He landed on some classical music and turned to Derek. "Would you be offended?"

"Not at all. Into the classics?"

"It's what I was raised on, really. Classical music and Bob Dylan. My mother had a different sort of taste."

Derek chuckled. "Add 'a musical education' to the things I need to teach you."

"I already took a music education course last semester, and received a perfect score."

"Not that kind of teaching. I'm introducing you to new genres. You need to learn how to love everything about music, because let's be honest, anyone who can't quote Illmatic is ignorant."

Spencer shrugged. "Though Illmatic is widely known as his best album, I think I'd have to go with the later Stillmatic." He saw the genuinely shocked look on Derek's face and smiled, looking out the window. "I'm more than just a brain with legs."

"Consider me schooled. You are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"You could say that."

When they got to the house, Spencer looked at it, eyes wide. "You did this?"

Derek nodded, going through his phone and showing him a picture. "This was the before." The picture on the screen showed a house with chipped paint that looked like it was going to cave in on itself if the wind blew too hard, with several structural issues. "I worked for about a year on this place, and it's the one I'm most proud of. Want to see the inside?"

"...Can we?"

He took his keys out of his pocket, walking up and unlocking the door, walking inside and Spencer following. "Would you like a tour?" he asked, squatting down and rubbing Clooney's back.

Spencer nodded. "That'd be great."

He motioned toward the kitchen. "Complete with finished cabinets by yours truly, I installed the dishwasher, stove, and everything else on my own. The place was stripped when I bought it. Also made the table and finished the chairs."

Spencer raised his eyebrow, impressed, as Derek went to the living room, the dog following close behind. "Completely gutted this room, fixed up the fireplace, so on cold winter nights, this is amazing. Clooney and I will curl up on the couch or on the floor with some blankets and keep warm. It's the definition of cozy."

Spencer motioned toward the bookcases lining one of the walls. "Did you make these too?"

"That was a project I did on a weekend. Why, do you like them?"

"Definitely. I tried building a bookcase from IKEA once… needless to say, it became scrap wood and Henry and I roasted marshmallows on it."

Derek laughed to himself. "I would've liked to see that."

"Oh no you wouldn't. There was a lot of anger involved. Cursing, wielding a hammer, the whole nine yards."

Derek showed him around the rest of the house, including the bedrooms, bathroom, and the gym he'd finished in the basement. "So, what do you think?"

"Pretty impressive. And this is just what you do in your spare time?"

"Yeah, it's just a hobby."

Spencer paused. "No offense meant, but if you can do this, why are you still, you know…"

"Why do I still serve coffee every weekday morning?" When Spencer nodded, he shrugged. "I don't know, I got comfortable at the coffee shop, and doing it this way, I'm able to do it on my terms, the way I like to see it. There's nobody to tell me I'm doing anything wrong or not to their liking. It probably makes no sense, but-"

Spencer shook his head. "It makes perfect sense. You're following your heart. It's admirable."

"Thanks, kid." He checked his watch. "I should probably get you back home so you can get a good night's sleep for school in the morning."

Spencer checked his watch, wrinkling his nose. "Guess so. Didn't realize how late it was."

"Time flies when you're having fun," Derek offered.

* * *

Derek pulled up to Spencer's place, parking the car. "So, I'll see you in the morning for you usual early morning teeth-rotting drink?"

Spencer nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Bright and early, and I should have plenty of homework in the afternoon."

"I'm sorry…"

Spencer smiled. "I'm not, gives me a reason to stay for a while."

Derek smirked. "Oh, really?"

"Really." He leaned over, kissing Derek's cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. For not giving up on me? For letting me in?"

"Don't sweat it, I'm glad I could."

Spencer chewed on his cheek before moving over, kissing Derek quickly on the lips. He pulled back shortly after, blushing. "So, um, I'll let you know when I have plans for a second date?"

"Sounds good to me, Pretty Boy."

He saw Spencer blush further and took it as a victory as he got out of the car, walking up to his apartment and unlocking the door. Checking his phone, he saw a text message from Penelope.

_Are we good, or do I need to console you after another 'you fucked up' break-up?_

He rolled his eyes. _One, I didn't fuck up, and two, we're fine. See you in the morning._ He tucked his phone into his pocket before starting the car, driving home.


	5. Learning to Have Fun

That night seemed to be a turning point for them that Derek definitely appreciated. When he would have a few spare minutes after finishing assignments, Spencer would text Derek with some small talk. It was never something overly intriguing, but in Derek's mind, it was much better than being completely ignored by him again.

Derek was in the middle of cleaning one of the coffee pots when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked around to see the shop was nearly empty and slipped into the back room, checking it.

_What time is your break? I thought maybe we could meet for lunch at the diner if you could get out around 12:30?_

He smiled to himself, checking the time and texting him back.

_I'll see you there, order me a burger._

He tucked his phone back into his pocket, walking back out and cleaning the pot.

"You've got a bit of a pep in your step," Penelope pointed out.

"I've got a lunch date," he told her, drying the pot and setting it on the counter.

"Oh do you?" she asked, crossing her arms. "With a certain customer of our fine establishment?"

He smiled. "Indeed. I'm taking my break in 20."

She sighed dramatically. "A whole half hour without my perfect chocolate Adonis by my side. However will I survive?"

He laughed softly. "I'm sure you'll find a way."

* * *

Derek walked into the diner and immediately spotted Spencer at one of the tables, several textbooks stacked next to him and a notebook in front of him, writing something out. He walked over, taking off his jacket and sitting across from him.

"Having fun?"

Spencer pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose, sighing. "If you want to call an absolutely ridiculous ten-page essay assignment 'fun', then yes. I understand what professors are trying to do, pushing us to have more detail in our answers, but when an answer can be simply summarized into a few paragraphs, it's impossible to expand it into more than a few pages."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Sorry I asked." He unwrapped the straw in front of him and put it into his glass, taking a sip.

Spencer exhaled, clicking his pen and setting his notebook on top of his books. "Sorry, my professor in my last class is completely ludicrous. I was in a perfectly fine mood all morning and when I invited you to lunch, but then this absolute imbecile decides that we need to write ten pages based on a poem that's _literally_ less than a page long. How does that make any sense?"

Derek shrugged. "Professor logic?"

Spencer scoffed. "Clearly." The waitress walked over, setting down their plates in front of them. "I hope you don't mind, I remembered what you ordered last time on your burger and got the same thing."

Derek shook his head. "Not a problem at all." He picked up his burger, taking a bite and chewing. "When's the paper due?"

Spencer glared at the notebook. "Two and a half weeks."

"...And you're stressing it _now_?"

He picked up his fork, shrugging. "My philosophy when it comes to schoolwork has always been the sooner, the better. If I get it done early in the time period, that's less time in the future spent stressing over it. I seriously lack the ability to procrastinate on assignments."

"That's better than most students," Derek told him. "Easily 80% of your classmates are going to put off that paper until two days before it's due and end up stressing like crazy."

He swallowed his food, clearing his throat and taking a sip of his water. "I don't envy them."

"I'm sure you don't." He put ketchup on his plate for his fries, setting the bottle down. "Do you always stress _this_ much?"

"...Have I not pointed out my full boat scholarship several times? Because I can't lose that."

Derek shook his head. "You've pointed it out. But with your intelligence, I don't see _why_ you stress so much."

He exhaled, setting his fork down. "I just want to make her proud."

Derek looked at him, curious. "..._Her_?"

Spencer licked his lips. "My mother. She… she essentially raised me on her own after my father the prick left, and she was an English professor, so she stressed the academics. She um, she got sick, but she always made me and my schoolwork a priority in her life, and I just, I can't let her down after everything she did."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. Is she okay?"

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "She's back home. She has bad days, but I make sure to write to her everyday, so she knows I'm thinking about her and I still care, even though I'm not there anymore." He laughed to himself. "She actually sent in my application to the school without telling me, so I got the acceptance letter in the mail and it totally threw me off."

Derek smirked. "That sounds like a pretty awesome mom to me."

"She's the best," Spencer said, smiling, picking up his fork and eating.

* * *

After they were finished eating, Derek handed his card to the waitress. "So, Spencer, are you up to anything tonight?"

Spencer pointed to his notebook. "Kind of, why?"

"Because you need a lesson in unwinding, and I would enjoy being the person to give you that lesson."

He clicked his tongue, eyeing the stack of books, before turning to look at Derek. "...Can you promise to have me home at a reasonable hour so I can finish this ridiculous assignment with plenty of time to spare?"

"I definitely can," he told him, signing the receipt and handing it back to the waitress, setting his card back in his wallet.

Spencer thought it over before nodding. "Okay, can you come get me at my place when you get out of work?"

"Can do." He checked his phone and exhaled. "I've got to get back." Pulling on his jacket, he leaned over, lifting Spencer's chin and giving him a quick kiss. "See you tonight. Try to look less like a struggling businessman and more like a college student for this date."

Spencer blushed, nodding. "I'll see what I can do."

He smiled to himself, taking his car keys out of his pocket and walking outside.

* * *

"Well, somebody had a good time, judging by the smile on his face," Penelope said, crossing her arms.

He pulled his apron back on. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

She shook her head. "Nuh uh, there's no 'maybe' about it here. How was lunch?"

He shrugged. "We talked about his school, some personal stuff, and the fact that we now have a date tonight."

"Whose idea?"

He pointed to himself. "I need to teach him that he may be a college student, but he's also still young and needs to have a little fun."

She laughed, scoffing. "Good luck with that one. In the years I've known him, I haven't known him to _ever_ cool down his academic jets."

"He agreed and we sealed it with a kiss."

She gasped, hitting his arm. "Nuh uh!"

"Yep." He logged into the register, smirking. "And darn, it looks like the afternoon rush is kicking in, so I don't have time to share details."

She rolled her eyes. "You will reveal them in time if you know what's good for you," she said, taking her Sharpie out of her pocket and tucking it in her ear.

"We'll see."

At the end of the work day, Derek logged out of the register, walking to the backroom and taking off his apron, hanging it.

"So, not even a hint of what you two are up to tonight?" Penelope asked, swapping out her sneakers for flats.

"I told you, I'm teaching him that he needs to have some fun," he explained, taking out his phone and texting Spencer.

_I'm leaving work now, I should be there in about twenty minutes. Be ready_.

"Have fun," Penelope told him, pulling on her jacket, "and don't break my little genius."

"I promise."

* * *

He pulled up to Spencer's place and saw him standing outside, his bag slung over his shoulder. Rather than his usual attire, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater, and though it was very different, Derek definitely liked this look on him. Spencer gripped the strap for his bag and walked toward the car, before taking it off and opening the door, setting it on the floor in front of the seat.

"_Please_ don't tell me you brought your homework with you?" Derek asked.

"Okay, I won't," Spencer said, closing the door and buckling himself in.

Derek sighed, pointing to the bag. "That's not going in with us."

"...Why not?"

"I may not need to give you that music education we talked about, but I'm sure as hell going to teach you how to still have some fun when you're in college."

"...But schoolwork to me _is_ fun."

"It has the word 'work' in it, and therefore, I ban it."

Spencer scoffed. "You _ban_ it?"

"Mhm. You have until we get to our destination to do whatever you planned on doing with that bag."

"But Derek-"

"Is there anything in that bag due within the next couple of weeks?"

Spencer quickly shook his head. "Not exactly, no, but-."

"Then it stays in the car."

He sighed, leaning back. "Fine, but you did say you'd have me home at a reasonable hour to work on my assignments."

"I did, and that's exactly what I'll do." He shifted the car into park and drove. "When's the last time you had some fun, Spencer?"

"...At the museum a few weeks ago, and again when we had lunch this afternoon, so fairly recently."

Derek shook his head. "What about before that?"

Spencer clicked his tongue a few times, thinking to himself. "Before the semester started, I went with Penelope to some amusement park with Henry."

"Uh huh, and were you having the fun, or was the little one?"

"What?"

Derek chuckled. "How many rides did you go on that weren't made for a three year old?"

"...Do ferris wheels count?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then none."

Derek laughed, shaking his head. "I'm going to teach you how to have some actual fun. I'm thinking of two ideas in my head, pick a number 1 or 2."

"...What's that supposed to do?"

"Easy, I gave both activities a number, so you're blindly going to choose what we do."

Spencer's eyes widened. "And how am I supposed to know that one of the options isn't skydiving or base jumping or paragliding?"

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Now I'm kind of bummed those didn't cross my mind." He saw Spencer panicking and smiled. "Nothing that extreme, I promise. Now trust me and pick."

He looked over and saw Spencer mumbling to himself, probably trying to statistically find the 'safer' number. He turned his eyes back to the road and smirked, waiting for his response.

"Um, I guess I'll say 1?"

He nodded, gripping the steering wheel. "Good choice… you have health insurance, right?" He saw Spencer panic and laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, man, I couldn't resist."

Spencer leaned over, flicking him. "Don't make me regret saying I'd do this."

* * *

Derek pulled into the parking lot and looked at Spencer, waiting for his reaction.

"...You took me away from doing my assignments to take me to an ice cream stand?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

Derek shook his head. "It's what's _behind_ the ice cream stand."

Spencer got out of the car, walking past it and peeking at what was behind. "...I see a fenced in area, heavy machinery, and on the opposite side, what looks like greenery and a track of some sort."

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. "You really don't know what those are?"

"Should I?"

He walked over, standing beside Spencer and pointing to each of them. "Batting cages, miniature golf, and go-karts."

"So that's what those look like?" he asked, tilting his head.

Derek opened his mouth to respond but shook his head. "Come on, I'll show you." He closed Spencer's door, locking the car and leading him to the back.

He paid for two passes to each of them and looked at Spencer. "Your choice, what do we do first?" he asked, holding them up. He saw Spencer considering the options and shook his head. "Don't make me make you pick a number again."Spencer rolled his eyes, reaching out and taking one, handing it to Derek. "There."

Derek examined it. "Go-karts it is. Ever done it?"

"...No?"

"...Have you ever done any of the things here tonight?" he asked, walking over to the track.

"I've had ice cream?" Spencer offered.

Derek chuckled, shaking his head and handing the passes to the attendant. "Pick a car, any car."

Spencer eyed all of them before sitting in one, buckling his seatbelt and putting his hands on the wheel.

"22?" Derek asked, taking the one beside him.

"I figure a palindrome of a number can't be too harmful, can it? Besides, it's the atomic number for titanium, and if you divide it by 7? You get pi."

Derek shook his head. "Whatever you say, kid." He buckled himself in. "You know how to drive well?"

"I've known since I was 12, but unfortunately due to the 'law', I couldn't acquire a permit until I was 16."

"A bit cocky, think you can beat me?" Derek asked, revving his engine.

Spencer shrugged. "I guess there's one way to find out?"

The attendant held up the flag and waved it, signaling they could go. The two of them stayed neck and neck for a couple of laps, until Spencer pushed ahead of him. Rather than turning it into a real race, Derek decided to just let him win, thinking that he needed the victory as a pick-me-up to distract him.

He pulled in after the last lap and unbuckled himself, turning to Spencer. "What'd you think?"

Spencer smiled. "I think you could've done a whole lot better than that," he said, climbing out.

"You've got jokes?"

He nodded. "A few."

Derek smirked, motioning toward the mini golf course. "Come on, onto the next one."

* * *

Once he picked up their clubs and balls, Derek held them out to Spencer. "You get your pick, purple or red?"

Spencer eyed them quickly before taking the purple club and ball.

"Seriously?"

Spencer shrugged. "Purple is my favorite color."

"Another odd thing to like about you," Derek said, walking to the first hole.

"Did you know that purple is usually associated with royalty?" Spencer pointed out. "The invitations to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation were a purple color, and in the United States as well as Europe, it's associated with individualism?"

Derek smiled. "Judging by the mismatched socks? It's the perfect color for you." He set his ball down, looking at Spencer. "I take it you know the basics of golf? Hit the ball, get it into the hole in as few strokes as possible."

Spencer nodded. "I've read about it extensively."

Derek pointed to his face. "Surprised face." Spencer gave him a small smile and Derek swung, getting his ball near the hole. "Your turn, genius."

He set his ball down where Derek had, looking at the hole in front of him and mumbling to himself before hitting it softly, watching it go down the slope and right next to the hole. "...Is that okay?"

Derek blinked. "What did you do?"

"I just calculated how well the slope would handle the ball at different angles and went with the one that was best suited to get me closer to the hole."

Derek shook his head. "No math, you're supposed to be having fun."

"But to me, math _is_ fun," Spencer argued, watching as Derek got his ball into the hole and following suit.

* * *

By the time they made it to the 18th hole, Spencer had pulled ahead using math and formulas to help him get his answers.

Spencer leaned on his club, looking at Derek. "So, by my calculations, you need to get a hole in one just to tie this game, and if you don't? You lose to the beanpole who only just learned how to play a half hour ago." He clicked his tongue. "Not exactly a win-win situation for you."

Derek rolled his eyes, mock laughing. "You know, I'm thinking I don't like this cocky side of you. I liked you better in bookworm mode."

Spencer shrugged. "You pulled me away, therefore you created this. Should I go first and put you out of your misery, or would you like to take a shot and have a few short seconds of glory?"

Derek picked up his club, swinging it around, before setting his ball down. "I'll be fine." After swinging, he turned around to face Spencer. "You're photographing this?"

"Documenting, Derek. There's a difference."

He scoffed, turning back to the ball and smirking when it went in. "Look at that, I won."

Spencer set his own ball down, swinging the club and watching as it went in. "Correction, you _tied_. With somebody who just started playing. Ouch."

* * *

"Batting cages to end the night?" Derek asked, changing the subject and leading the way.

"Out of pure curiosity, what was the other option for tonight?" he asked as Derek looked through the helmets.

"Bowling and an arcade. Having had my finger stuck in a bowling ball in the past, I'm glad you went with this one."

Spencer looked into the batting cages and his eyes went wide. "So you'd rather have baseballs hurled at your head at high speeds?"

Derek picked up a helmet, putting it on Spencer's head, before putting on his own and grabbing two bats. "I'm not going to let that happen. Don't you trust me?"

Spencer groaned, taking one of the bats from him. "Unfortunately."

Derek opened up two of the cages, motioning for Spencer to step into one of them. Once he did, he stepped into the other. "Don't put your token in until I'm done teaching you, got it?"

Spencer nodded, adjusting the helmet. "Got it."

Derek picked up his bat. "First, the stance. I'm assuming you're right-handed?"

"You assume correctly," Spencer told him, picking up his own bat and eyeing it.

Derek smirked, showing him how to stand. "Just like this. Knees apart and slightly bent, elbows bent and up."

Spencer eyed his position before nodding, mimicking it. "Like this?"

Derek looked at him before shaking his head, laughing to himself and walking into the cage, standing behind Spencer and holding his elbows up. "Like this. Don't be so stiff or this isn't going to work."

"Take one look at me, it's quite obvious I'm not good at sports."

"It's never too late to learn." Derek tapped the back of his leg. "Slightly bend, just enough to lower yourself a little." Spencer did as he was told and Derek smiled. "There we go! Now, we start on the swing."

Spencer looked at him, eyes wide. "You're starting it already?!"

"Hell no, kid, but that deer in the headlights look may be one of my favorite things ever." Spencer nudged him with his elbow and he laughed softly. "Sorry, my mistake. If I go back to my cage, can you keep your stance and mirror my actions?"

Spencer nodded quickly. "Though I can't promise it'll last."

"All that matters is you're trying," Derek said, getting back into his cage and closing it, picking up the bat. "I just want you to watch me, okay?" He gripped the bat, getting into the stance and swinging a few times. "Watch how I turn, watch my hips. See how they move?"

Spencer raised his eyebrows, chewing on his cheek. "Indeed." He quickly realized that what he'd said didn't stay in his head and blushed, turning bright red.

Derek dismissed it after a small smile. "Just swing and follow through," he said, demonstrating a few times. "Now, try it."

Spencer cleared his throat a few times before attempting it. "Like that?"

"A few more."

Spencer blushed again, swinging a couple more times before looking at Derek. "Well?"

"I think you're ready to go." Derek stepped outside, flipping the token in the air before putting it in. "If you need help, just let me know. First ball should be coming in a few seconds."

Spencer just had time to turn around and swing, completely missing the ball. "Why do they go so fast?!"

"Because it's a pitching machine, it imitates actual pitches. Now come on, concentrate. It's on the slow setting."

He sighed, straightening up and stretching slightly, a pitch just missing hitting him in the arm. "What the hell! You do this for fun?!"

Derek bit down on his lip to hold back a laugh. "Do you need some help in there?"

"No, Derek, I enjoy making a fool of myself. Please, let me continue."

"Look at you, learning sarcasm," Derek joked, opening the cage and stepping inside, helping him get into position again. He gripped Spencer's hands, whispering in his ear. "Relax, you're too tense."

Spencer nodded slightly, taking a deep breath and, with the assistance of Derek, swinging at the next ball. His eyes went wide as he actually hit it away from him. "...Wow."

Derek smiled, kissing his cheek. "You did it, and you've got ten more to go. If you hit at least three, ice cream afterward is my treat."

Spencer clicked his tongue, nodding. "Challenge accepted. With assistance, or without?"

"Without of course. I think you can manage it." Derek stepped out of the cage, winking at him. "Come on, Pretty Boy," he said, clapping his hands together.

Spencer exhaled, unsuccessfully swinging at the first couple of pitches, but ultimately hitting four of them in the end. He turned around and saw Derek with his phone out. "...Are you recording this?"

"Documenting," he said, tucking the phone back into his pocket, "I think the genius learning how to swing is good stress relief."

Spencer pulled off the helmet, hanging it up, before leaning the bat against the fence. "Can you get all fifteen?"

"I could, but I wouldn't want to bruise your newfound ego."

He shook his head. "I don't know, you got to see me do it. It's only fair you return the favor."

"Fine." He walked back into the cage, putting his helmet on and putting in the token. When he swung at a few, he turned back to see Spencer smiling and enjoying himself, which had been the goal for the night. "And what are we laughing about back there?"

Spencer shrugged. "Just enjoying the view."

Derek scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure." He turned his attention back to the pitching machine, and unfortunately, he wasn't prepared for the next pitch, which hit him in the shoulder.

Spencer winced. "Probably a dumb question, but are you okay?"

Derek nodded slightly, rubbing his shoulder, before picking up the bat and swinging. He bit down on his cheek, shaking his head. "That'll be a no." He walked out, setting down the helmet and feeling his shoulder.

Spencer swatted his hand away. "Let me see."

"It's fine, I just need some ice." He motioned toward the stand. "I promised you ice cream, come on."

"Are you sure-"

"It's fine," Derek repeated, resting his hand on the small of Spencer's back and walking over.

* * *

True to his word, Derek had bought them ice cream, but Spencer insisted on getting some ice for his shoulder.

"Do you have an extra shirt in your car?" Spencer asked, looking in the backseat.

"...I don't know?" Derek said, picking up his spoon and eating.

Spencer reached behind him, picking up a shirt, before pouring some of the ice cubes into it and tying it off, resting it on Derek's shoulder.

"Eat your ice cream before it melts. I'm f-"

"If the next word out of your mouth is 'fine', Derek Morgan, this date is over."

"Look at you, using the 'd' word," Derek joked, taking another bite.

"Your shoulder is pretty swollen, are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"Spencer!" Derek said. "It'll be okay."

Spencer took a bite of his ice cream, shaking his head. "Stretch for me and prove me wrong."

Derek sighed, setting his bowl down on the dashboard. "Let me guess, you took a course in physical therapy?"

"Yes," he said matter of factly. "Now, prove to me that you're okay to drive."

Derek pushed off the makeshift ice pack, stretching his arm out and wincing slightly. "It's fine, just a little sting."

"Riiight," Spencer said, clicking his tongue and poking his spoon around in his ice cream. "Do you work tomorrow morning?"

He shook his head. "Luckily it's my day off so I can go home and sleep it off."

Spencer sighed. "I'm not letting you drive home like this. If there's something in the road and you need to make a sudden movement, you'll be in pain."

"So what's going to happen, genius?" Derek asked, scraping the last of his ice cream out and eating it.

Spencer held up a finger, thinking to himself. "Are you opposed to sleeping on a couch?"

"...No?"

He reached over, taking the keys from Derek. "I'll drive you back to my place, you can sleep, and then when you wake up in the morning and you've rested your arm, you can drive home."

"Second date and you're already inviting me back to your place? Well, things are moving a lot faster than I expected," Derek teased.

Spencer mock laughed. "Fine, risk driving home, wrecking your shoulder, and needing to go to a hospital."

Derek put up his hands. "Whatever you say, doc." He got out, walking around and taking the passenger seat as Spencer slid over to the driver's seat, starting the car. "Do you know how to drive this kind of car?"

"An automatic one with four wheels and an engine? I think I can manage." He pointed to the ice pack. "Put that back on, along with your seatbelt."

He sighed, reaching around and buckling himself in, before putting the ice pack onto his shoulder. "Anything else?"

"It should take about fifteen minutes to get back to my place. Once we get there, take the ice off, take some naproxen, and elevate the shoulder over your heart. Can you do that?"

Derek nodded and Spencer started the car, pulling out and driving.

* * *

Once they were at Spencer's, Spencer grabbed his bag from the floor and picked it up, putting it over his shoulder. Derek sighed, getting out of the car and walking to the front door, rolling his shoulder and waiting for Spencer. Spencer took out his house key, unlocking the door and going in first, turning on the lights.

"Just make yourself comfortable," Spencer told him, turning on the light in the living room and motioning toward the couch. "I'll get you something for the pain."

"I'm not in pain," Derek lied.

Spencer scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm the queen of England," he said, grabbing a bottle from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and taking out a couple of pills, walking back out and handing them to Derek.

Derek sighed, popping the pills into his mouth and swallowing before lying back on the couch. "Spencer, I'm fine. I suffered a lot worse than this when I played football in college."

"That's nice," Spencer told him, sitting in his armchair and opening up his bag. "You can't hide the fact that it hurts. Take off your shirt and let me see the damage."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Let me see how bad it is."

Derek sat up, pulling his shirt over his head and wincing. He then glanced over at his shoulder and saw it was already swollen. "Damn."

"You had to pick the fast pitching speed, didn't you?" Spencer said, putting on his glasses and getting a closer look.

"I kind of ruined the whole de-stressing, didn't I?" Derek asked, looking up at him.

Spencer shook his head, giving him a smile. "I had a great time. Second date was definitely a success."

"So that was a date to you?" Derek asked.

"You mean to tell me it wasn't?"

Derek leaned over, lifting Spencer's chin and kissing him. "I had a great time too."

Spencer smirked, walking back to his bag and taking out his notebook, before walking over and closing the curtains for his front window.

Derek raised an eyebrow, putting his arm along the back of the couch and pointing. "That was?"

"To keep my nosy big sister of a neighbor out of my business," Spencer told him, opening his notebook and taking out a pen.

"You just kissed a shirtless guy in your living room and closed the curtain. Trust me, she doesn't think you're going to be working on your assignment."

Spencer sat down, raising an eyebrow and thinking out loud. "If she doesn't think I'm working on my assignment, what else would she think I was doing-" he gasped, turning to Derek. "She doesn't!"

Derek shrugged slightly, resisting the urge to wince. "I'm not in her brain, so I couldn't tell you."

Spencer blushed before biting his lip, shaking his head and clicking his pen, starting to write.

* * *

Derek leaned back on the couch, watching Spencer as he wrote. When he'd pause, he'd chew on his cheek and squint, trying to find the right way to word his sentence, and when he finally did, he would smile to himself and jot it down. Derek smirked, crossing his arms.

"Elevate your shoulder," Spencer snapped at him, not looking up from his notebook.

Derek raised an eyebrow, tucking his arm behind the pillow. "Better?"

"Whatever makes you comfortable," he mumbled, counting out his pages and groaning. "_Eight_? I've been busting my hump working on this assignment and I've only done _eight_ of the ten pages? How is that possible?!"

He looked over. "You do realize that you've done eight, front and back, in your tiny chickenscratch, and when you type it up and double-space it, it'll exceed ten pages, so _technically_ you're already done…?" Spencer glanced up at him, glaring, and Derek put up his hand. "My mistake, do go on."

"I will." He got up, walking over to a closet and taking out a blanket, tossing it toward Derek, before sitting back in his chair and writing. "How does one avoid being repetitive on such a ridiculous assignment?"

Derek kicked off his shoes, putting his feet up and fixing the blanket over himself. "I used to hate those assignments. I'd bullshit my own explanation about how there was more depth than meets the eye and literally take it line by line with interpretations. Teachers couldn't fail me, because I did what they asked, but they hated my method."

Spencer laughed to himself, starting on a new page. "You think you're bad? I just rambled on for two straight pages about possible themes the author had in mind but couldn't convey past the main theme. With how much detail I put into these assignments, they probably hate me." He shrugged. "Oh well. A couple of months and I won't be their problem anymore."

"Good way to look at it."

He tucked his legs underneath himself, clicking his pen a few times.

"So is there a reason you write it all out before you even turn on your laptop?" Derek asked.

Spencer nodded. "Computers slow me down so I find it easier to write it out and then put it on my laptop. It's an odd habit, considering how dependent everyone is on technology these days, but it's what works for me."

Derek reached in his pocket, checking his phone. "Shocking, JJ told Penelope that I'm here."

"She did not," Spencer mumbled.

He turned his phone around to show him the screen. "Then do tell me why I have a text message that says '_Oh for the love of God, Derek Morgan, it is the second date. You're already naked in his apartment?! That sounds more like a fifth date thing to me_'."

Spencer blushed. "Do feel free to tell her the truth about why you're shirtless in my apartment."

Derek shook his head. "I think I'll let her imagination wander, it's all she has," he said, tossing his phone onto the table. "What time do you usually go to bed?"

"After I finish my assignment," Spencer put plainly. "If the light is distracting you, I could go into my study or my bedroom and you could get some sleep?"

"It's fine, I don't mind it out here. I've got a good view."

Spencer looked over at Derek, smiling. "I think you might be a little delirious."

"Think what you will," Derek said before yawning. "But I'm an honest man, Spencer Reid."

Spencer laughed. "Good to know, Derek Morgan." He turned down the light before curling his entire body onto the armchair and resting his notebook against his legs.

Derek studied him for a moment before coming to a realization: he was really, truly falling for this guy, harder than ever before. The problem was going to be how to approach it and not scare him off.

Spencer rolled his eyes. "I can feel you watching me, and me doing my homework is not that entertaining. Get some sleep."

Derek adjusted his arm behind the pillow and winced slightly. "Class tomorrow?"

Spencer shook his head. "All of my teachers are going to some event and in college they don't believe in substitute teachers, so I'll just be here doing my homework. Get some sleep," he repeated.

"Yes, sir," Derek said, saluting him, pulling the blanket over himself and allowing himself to watch him a short while longer before finally nodding off.

* * *

Later that night, Derek opened his eyes and saw that Spencer had fallen asleep in his chair with a book wide open in his lap and his finger on the corner of the page. He shook his head, getting up and grabbing the blanket from the back of the chair, carefully putting it over him, then taking off his glasses and setting them on the table. He didn't have much time to think about it, considering he was exhausted, but he took in how peaceful Spencer looked when he was sleeping: any signs of stress from school or assignments was gone, and he almost seemed happy. Quickly making a mental note of it, he laid back on the couch, letting his eyes slip shut.

Derek woke up the following morning to knocking on the front door. He reached out for his phone, checking the time and groaning. Of course on his day off, he couldn't sleep in - that was just a crazy concept. He also noticed several text messages from Penelope, demanding details about the night before. He was about to get up and answer the door when Spencer walked in, putting his hand up.

"I've got it, you stay," he mumbled, trudging toward the door.

Not one to go against orders, he sat up, pushing off the blanket and getting a good look at his shoulder, noticing the bruising and wincing.

Spencer opened his door a crack. "Yes, JJ, what can I do for you at ungodly hour o'clock in the morning on my day off when the coffee's not even finished yet?"

"Barging in before coffee, JJ? Not your smartest game plan," Derek heard from behind her and groaned to himself.

"Penelope," he muttered under his breath, sighing.

"Can you come back later?" he pleaded. "_Please_?"

"Yeah, no problem. Penelope's just worried that she hasn't heard from Derek since yesterday and wanted to check with you."

He narrowed his eyes into a glare. "You know he came here last night, JJ, because you hurried to text Penelope, who immediately texted Derek, whose car is quite obviously in my driveway. Now, I love you both dearly, but love doesn't mean anything when I haven't had my morning coffee, so if you could do me the favor of just _going away_ for the next twenty minutes or so, I'll be much more pleasant when you come back."

Without letting them get in another word, he closed the door and locked it, walking back to the kitchen.

"So _this_ is Spencer Reid without caffeine. I have to say, it'd be quite the thing to wake up to."

Spencer mock laughed, pouring himself a cup of coffee and putting in several spoonfuls of sugar. After taking a few sips, he looked out into the living room. "How do you take it?"

Derek got up, rubbing his shoulder and walking out to the kitchen, leaning against the counter. "Just a little sugar to get me going." He watched as Spencer poured his coffee and smiled.

"What?" Spencer asked, turning to him and handing him his coffee mug. It was odd for Derek to see the usual well-dressed man in a pair of plaid pajama pants and an oversized college t-shirt.

"Nothing, it's just nice to be on the receiving end of the coffee for a change," he said, sipping it. "If this whole college thing falls through, I suggest becoming a barista."

"With my less-than-existent social skills? No thank you."

Derek finished off his cup of coffee before he motioned toward the door. "Are you ready for that?"

Spencer shook his head, finishing his third cup. "Definitely not. They're nosy alone, but when you combine them? I can only imagine what 'baseball injury' will translate to."

Derek chuckled. "I see what you mean. How about I put on my shirt before they get here, lest they get more of a wrong idea?"

"I think that would be smart."

He walked out to the living room, pulling on his shirt and wincing. "Did you finish your paper last night?"

Spencer nodded, opening the freezer and grabbing some ice cubes, putting them into an ice pack. "I actually made it to twelve written pages, which should easily translate to twenty pages when it's typed up." He walked out to the living room and motioned for Derek to sit down. Once he did, he rested the ice pack against his shoulder. "Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor? That's pretty bruised up."

"It only hurts when I move it too much, I'll be fine. Thanks, though."

"It's just nice that somebody else is the accident prone one in my life for a change," Spencer joked. "I have a habit of getting myself into situations and hurting myself."

"I'm glad I could take the burden off of you for a change," Derek retorted, putting his hand on the ice pack. "Are you up to anything today?"

"After big sister and her nosy best friend are done poking and prodding into my personal life, I'm free, considering I finished my assignment. Why?"

"If you'd like, I can take you out to breakfast, or possibly even lunch, depending on how long the meddling twins pick our brains."

Spencer nodded, smiling. "I think I'd like that. One condition?"

"Go for it."

"No more of your definition of 'fun'? I had a great time, but I think your shoulder could use a break."

Derek chuckled, nodding. "Done."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the delay on getting this chapter posted. I read it over about fifteen times to be sure I was satisfied with it for an update.


	6. Opening Up

Spencer went to his room and grabbed his phone, sending JJ a text, before walking to the front door, unlocking it, then curling up in his chair.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"5, 4, 3, 2," he said, counting down and pointing to the door. As if it were rehearsed, JJ knocked on the door and he sighed. "It's open."

JJ walked in, Penelope close behind her. "Sorry if we're interrupting."

"No you're not," Spencer mumbled, putting his books back into his bag and closing it.

Penelope walked over, nudging Derek with her elbow. "So, how was date night?"

"Fine?" he said, adjusting the ice pack on his shoulder.

She raised an eyebrow, lifting up the ice pack and looking at his shoulder. "What the hell did you do and remind me not to use your brand of karma sutra."

Spencer blushed, shaking his head.

"Not even close, Baby Girl," he told her, putting it back on. He glanced over at Spencer. "Would you like to take it, or is it on me?"

Spencer put up his hands. "It's all you."

"First question," JJ started, sitting on the arm of Spencer's chair, "why were you shirtless in his apartment last night?"

Derek smirked. "I'll get there. He was stressing over his assignment, which he ended up finishing last night, so I decided he needed to have a little fun for a change… somebody else's definition of fun." He saw Spencer rolling his eyes and laughed to himself. "So I took him to that ice cream place with the go-karts, mini golf, and batting cages."

Spencer raised his hand. "I'd just like to point out that I won go-karts, tied in mini golf, and hit more baseballs than Derek."

Penelope looked at Derek. "_Seriously_?"

"I'm getting there," he said quickly. "I took it easy on the go-kart track, he used math and logic to tie at mini golf, and I taught him everything he needed to know in the batting cages. It was my turn, I hit a few, I turned around to see him taking pictures, turned back around and didn't duck fast enough, so I got a baseball to the shoulder at top speed."

JJ winced. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

Spencer scoffed. "Yeah, that phrase came out of his mouth a good ten times before he admitted he was in pain. Show them."

"Spencer, I'm not taking my shirt off to show them," Derek argued.

Penelope smirked. "I don't know, I wouldn't mind. Jayje, you?"

JJ shrugged. "I'm a mom and a wife, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

He sighed, reaching down and grabbing the bottom hem of his shirt, carefully taking it off and motioning toward his shoulder.

Penelope hissed, her fingers hovering over it. "That looks so painful. Derek Morgan, how the hell did you play macho man with that on your shoulder?!"

He put the ice pack on. "It didn't hurt that bad, but Spencer insisted on icing it while we were eating ice cream. Then he determined that I was in no condition to drive home, so he pretty much took the keys and demanded that I sleep on his couch."

JJ turned to Spencer, eyebrow raised. "Second date sleepover?" She whistled. "Go, Spence."

He blushed, shaking his head. "It's nothing like that. I didn't want him driving home and needing to make any sudden movements, so I wanted him to be careful. We got back here, I gave him something for the pain, and then I did my homework."

Penelope put up her finger. "You forgot to mention how he ended up shirtless."

Spencer ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

"Nothing happened," Derek quickly said, which seemed to calm Spencer down.

Spencer nodded his agreement. "I needed to get a better look at it to be sure I didn't need to drive him to the hospital, he was fine and elevated his shoulder-"

"And the curtains?" JJ asked.

He groaned. "I'm getting to that. I didn't need you seeing I was home and bothering me when I was trying to finish my homework. Derek kissed me, I realized the curtains were open, and I closed them. That's all."

Penelope glanced at Derek. "Truth?"

He nodded. "Meds kicked in and I fell asleep. Woke up in the middle of the night to him asleep in his chair, put a blanket on him, went back to sleep, woke up this morning to JJ's knocking."

"Sorry," she spoke up, turning to Spencer. "So what's going on with you two?" she asked, pointing between them.

Spencer rubbed his temple, looking up at her. "You're going to give me a migraine."

"It's what big sisters are for."

He sighed, looking at Derek, before glancing at her. "Well we're dating, so technically speaking, he's my boyfriend. Are you happy now?"

She squealed, wrapping her arms around him. "Ecstatic!"

Penelope leaned over, wrapping her arms around Derek, careful of his shoulder. "Look who has himself a boyfriend and can stop moping around."

He scoffed. "Thanks."

Penelope ran her hand over his scalp before patting his head. "We've got a girl's day courtesy of Will and we're off to enjoy it. You two lovebirds enjoy whatever it is you're up to today."

He pushed her hand off. "Don't worry, we will."

JJ eyed Spencer. "You will?"

"My life and who's involved in it is none of your business, despite the fact you've somehow illegally adopted me," he pointed out.

She smirked, ruffling his hair. "Well, whatever it is you're up to, have fun, but not too much."

"Seconded," Penelope said, patting Derek's cheek before getting up, following JJ out and closing the door.

Spencer groaned, leaning his head back and rubbing his eyes. "I really didn't need a sister. I was satisfied being an only child."

"Trust me, I have two of them, and now with Penelope tacking herself on? I envy your status as an only child."

Spencer laughed. "I envy my former status as well."

Derek checked his phone. "Looks like we can get some breakfast if you're interested? My treat."

"How can a college student refuse a free meal?" Spencer joked, getting up. "I'm going to get dressed if you want to take a shower or something before we go?"

"That's probably a good idea. Bathroom?"

Spencer pointed. "Right next to the bedroom. Face cloths are next to the shower if you need one."

"Thanks. I'll be out in a few."

Spencer caught himself staring at Derek and looked up at him. "Hm?" He quickly blushed and opened the hall closet, taking out a towel and handing it to him. "I mean, um, here."

Derek chuckled, shaking his head and taking the towel. "Thanks."

* * *

After Derek took a quick shower and got changed, the two of them were on the road, Spencer still insisting on driving.

Derek put in his car charger, plugging in his phone and texting his neighbor to see if she had checked on Clooney, as she usually did when he was out late. When he received a text back, he was relieved, then laughed softly.

Spencer raised an eyebrow, turning to him. "What's so funny?"

He motioned toward his phone. "When I'm late renovating or something, my neighbor pops in to check on Clooney and walk him. She sent me a picture of him curled up on my jacket, with the caption 'I don't think he approves'."

At a red light, he turned the phone around to show Spencer, who chuckled. "He looks very upset, I think you owe him something."

"I'll make some extra meat with dinner tonight, he'll get over it. Where we headed, the diner?"

Spencer shook his head. "I'm not ready to frequent _another_ place as often as I frequent the coffee shop. First name basis is fine at your place, but at a restaurant? It just seems awkward."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

Derek picked up a piece of bacon, biting into it. "So, how easily do you accept gifts?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow as he set the syrup back on the table. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you took care of me last night despite me trying to be a strongman and taking care of myself, and I really appreciate that."

He shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee before setting it down. "It's nothing, really. I didn't mind doing it."

"Still," Derek spoke up, swallowing, "do you accept gifts?"

"I guess it depends on the nature of the gift, as well as the monetary value, because I certainly don't have anything to give you in return except several visits a day at your job to get my caffeine fix satisfied," Spencer reasoned.

"That's more than enough for me."

Spencer blushed, taking a bite of his french toast. "Why, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, you know how there is literally a lining of books on both sides of your hallway?"

"I told you about my IKEA adventure, I'd rather not go back there," Spencer pointed out.

"What if you didn't have to go back there and I had two bookshelves already made that could go up and save your books from being tripped over or stepped on again?"

Spencer's eyes widened, smiling. "You're serious?"

He nodded. "I made them last weekend after I saw your apartment and figured that a lover of literature like yourself could use them." He shrugged. "But totally your choice. If you don't want them, I can just sell them or put them in one of my properties. I just thought they'd be a nice gesture."

Spencer thought it over before nodding. "Well, I suppose if you feel as if you owe me for last night, I guess I could take them off of your hands?"

Derek laughed softly. "That's what I thought. If you want, I can get them to you on Sunday. Obviously you don't want me lifting anything today, I work tomorrow morning, and I figure by Sunday my shoulder will be fine for lifting by your standards."

"All I'll be doing this weekend is assignments, so Sunday works perfectly."

"You're _really_ not going to have any fun after everything I taught you yesterday?"

"Considering you taught me what _not_ to do?" Spencer pointed out, smirking at him. "Don't worry, I'll be having _my_ definition of fun at some point this weekend, including watching with Henry while JJ runs some errands with Will and watching Doctor Who."

Derek clicked his tongue. "I _guess_ I'll take it."

"I guess you'll have to," Spencer teased.

* * *

After breakfast, Spencer drove back to his place. Parking in front, he turned to Derek.

"Let me know if you need any advice for what to do about that shoulder. I've read more medical journals than I could count, and I don't want you hurt and making me lift those bookcases on Sunday."

Derek laughed softly. "Yes, sir."

Spencer got out of the car, walking around and handing Derek his keys as he got out. "Keep it elevated, take something for the pain, and relax."

Derek saluted him. "Can do, boss."

He smirked, leaning in and kissing Derek on the cheek. "And once you're better? I think you should demand a rematch, because losing to a stick like me is, I'm sure, embarrassing beyond all possible belief."

"Beginner's luck," Derek pointed out, twirling the keys around on his finger.

He scoffed. "Prove it." He leaned in, giving Derek a quick kiss, before waving and walking to his front door, unlocking it and going inside.

Derek shook his head, smiling to himself and walking around, getting in and starting the car.

* * *

As instructed by Spencer, Derek spent his day with his arm elevated and his shoulder on ice every once in a while. After a few hours, he got a text.

_Have you taken something lately?_

He smirked. _I took something when I got home a few hours ago, and I just took the ice pack off. _

It was about a minute before he received another text. _Is it still swollen? If it's looking abnormally large, maybe you should see a doctor._

He turned and looked at his shoulder. _It was worse yesterday. I'm fine, and I mean it this time._

When Spencer texted him back, he checked his phone. _You'd better. I'll see you Sunday_.

He laughed, shaking his head and tossing his phone on the table before turning to Clooney. "I've gotten myself into a relationship with a crazy one, haven't I?"

* * *

At work the following morning, Penelope had insisted on checking his shoulder before letting him lift anything. Once she found it wasn't swollen and he could move it without being in too much pain, she allowed him to restock the cups and prepare all of the machines.

"So, what's it like having an adorable little boytoy to take care of you?" she asked, digging in her apron for her Sharpie.

"I have to say, it doesn't suck," he said, tucking his own Sharpie behind his ear. "He knows so much and he was a great help when I needed it."

"Oh I'm sure," she said, nudging him with her elbow and winking.

"Definitely not, sweetness. I've barely known him six weeks and barely even talked to him for three of those. That is _very_ far in the distance at this point."

She gasped, putting a hand to her chest. "The great Derek Morgan taking a relationship _slow? _Call the presses!"

He mock laughed. logging into his register. "You're hilarious," he said dryly.

She shrugged. "It's a gift."

Later on in the shift, the two of them finally had a chance to talk.

"So, where are you two?" she asked, cleaning off the counter.

He shrugged, washing out the blender and setting it out to dry. "We're playing it by ear. His schoolwork comes first, and I need to respect that, but I'm also taking it as a challenge to teach him how to have a little fun once in a while."

"Because your last attempt went so well?" she asked, motioning toward his shoulder. "Go take something."

"Penelope-"

She put up a finger. "Do not make me call Spencer to snap at you. He seems to be able to control you much better than I can."

He rolled his eyes, walking to the back room and looking in the first aid kit for some Aleve, popping it in his mouth and swallowing, walking back. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic. So if by the second date you end up shirtless in his apartment and the curtains are closed, what in the world is going to be the third date?"

He mock laughed. "Whatever it is, it'll be none of your business."

An hour before their shift ended, Spencer walked up to the counter, tapping his fingers on it.

Derek groaned, turning to Penelope. "You called Spencer on me?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow, confused. "Is that some sort of code I should be made of aware of?" he asked, looking between the two.

Penelope laughed softly. "Oh, I didn't, but that look on your faces was _priceless._"

Derek rolled his eyes, looking at Spencer. "The usual?"

Spencer eyed the menu board before shaking his head. "Surprise me."

Penelope gasped. "Excuse me while I search on the floor of this fine establishment for my _jaw_ because Spencer Reid is straying from his usual order. I think this is one of the four signs of the apocalypse," she mumbled before walking away.

Derek thought to himself before smirking. "I think I have the perfect thing for your sweet tooth. If you hate it, next drink is on me."

"Sounds fair."

Spencer tried leaning over the counter to get a look but Derek wagged a finger at him. "No peeking or it's not a surprise." Spencer sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms, waiting.

Derek walked up to the counter a minute later, setting it down and holding out his hand for Spencer's credit card. He rang him up and swiped it, before handing him the card and receipt. "Enjoy."

Spencer lifted up the drink, sniffing it. "...It's a frappuccino. I'm not used to these."

"Don't you trust me?" Derek asked.

"Well, of course I trust you, hence why I said 'surprise me', but I don't recognize it as anything on your menu-"

"But nothing." Derek unwrapped a straw, putting it into his drink. "Trust me."

Spencer put the straw into his mouth, taking a sip, before raising his eyebrows, impressed. "Bravo, consider me surprised. Is that caramel and toffee nut I taste?"

"Indeed it is. Have I given you a new regular drink?"

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Spencer said, taking another sip. "It's fall, then winter's coming, and I don't see myself getting cold beverages in the winter months. Maybe once summer hits. For now? You'll be making my regular."

Derek shrugged. "I'll take it as a small victory you even _attempted_ something else. What brings you here?"

Spencer motioned toward his bag over his shoulder. "Need to finish an assignment. I love Henry, but him screaming right outside my study window doesn't exactly give me a good working environment."

"Say no more. Good luck."

Spencer smiled, nodding in response, before walking over to a table and setting his drink down.

Penelope slow clapped. "You are _officially_ changing the great Spencer Reid into an actual college student who knows how to think _outside_ the box. Bravo."

Derek shrugged. "Baby steps."

* * *

The next morning, Derek did some work at one of his properties before calling Spencer.

"Hello?" Spencer said, and Derek distinctly heard the sound of turning pages in the background.

Derek smirked. "Reading?"

Spencer shook his head, though Derek couldn't see it. "Researching for a paper I have due in a couple of weeks. I actually ended up e-mailing my professor that assignment from the deepest depths of Tartarus yesterday, so I'm waiting to hear back on how I did. To keep myself occupied, I figured I should tackle the next assignment." He paused. "And by that I mean 'I'm not reading, why are you calling?'."

Derek let out a small laugh. "I just finished up some renovations and was wondering if it was a good time to drop off your bookcases, but if you're too busy I can come by later?"

Spencer thought to himself before Derek heard the sound of a heavy book closing. "Now sounds fantastic. How's the shoulder, are you going to be okay?"

"It's a little sore, but I can do light lifting, it won't hurt anything."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Uh huh, big macho man, and how are you going to carry bookcases into my place by yourself? Even completely able-bodied I don't think it's a smart idea."

"I can manage. I'll be there in a half hour."

Derek had successfully put the two bookcases into the back of his truck he used when he was picking up supplies for his projects. He pulled up to Spencer's and walked to the front door, knocking.

Spencer opened the door, peeking around Derek. "Wow, you managed it."

"You sound surprised," Derek said, eyebrow raised. "Did you clear space?"

Spencer pointed to the hallway. "Books are all cleaned up and there's easy access to my study for the bookcases."

"Great, I'll go get started."

Spencer put up a finger. "One second."

"...Okay?"

He watched as Spencer walked next door to JJ's house and knocked on the door. After whispering to her for a minute, she walked back into her house and somebody else walked out, making his way over to Derek.

He held out his hand. "You must be Derek. I'm Will."

"Nice to meet you, man." Derek took his hand, shaking it, before looking past him to Spencer. "So, what happened to this whole 'trust' thing from yesterday?"

"There's a difference between trusting a trained professional to make a good drink and trusting someone with an injury to lift and carry something meant for two people," Spencer pointed out.

Derek chuckled, looking at Will. "Do you mind? Hurt my shoulder trying to teach this one to have fun and he doesn't seem to trust me to know my own body."

Will gave him a smile. "Not at all."

Derek turned to Spencer. "And during this, you'll be?"

"Sorting my books," he said matter-of-factly, walking back inside.

Derek scoffed. "And probably enjoying the view," he muttered under his breath, going over to his truck and opening the latch for the back.

* * *

"So, how long have you known Spencer?" Derek asked, climbing on the truck bed.

"Since a couple years before JJ and I got married," Will explained. "JJ told me she'd had a sister and an adopted younger brother. I figured maybe her parents wanted a change of life kid or adopted a little kid. Color me surprised when I met him and he was an adult."

Derek laughed to himself. "I'm sure that was fun." Will picked up one end and he picked up the other, carefully stepping out of the bed and walking toward Spencer's front door. "At least you didn't bring a coloring book or something with you to give to him. He'd have given you the history of crayons."

"I heard that, Derek," Spencer grumbled, moving his boxes of books to the study.

Will smirked. "Luckily I talked myself out of it at the last minute. JJ said younger brother and I assumed _much_ younger. Obviously I should've just assumed nothing."

"I found that's best with him," Derek started, walking through the front door, "and before he says it 'I heard that, Derek!'."

Spencer made a face, walking to the study and opening the door before stepping out of the way. They set down the first bookcase and made the trip out for the second one.

"Accent like that, I'm gonna guess you're a southeast guy?" Derek guessed.

"New Orleans, born and raised," he said, looking at Derek. "What about you? You from these parts?"

"Born and somewhat raised in Chicago, so I still support my home teams." They both lifted up their ends and walked inside. "We moved here after my dad passed away because my mom thought we needed a fresh start, and like most mothers, she ended up being right."

"Mamas usually are," Will pointed out, following him into the study. After setting up the second bookcase, he turned to Spencer. "Need me to stick around?"

Spencer shook his head. "We can take it from here. Thanks for your help."

"Anytime." He held out his hand to Derek and Derek shook it before Will walked out, closing the front door behind him.

"He seems like a nice enough guy," Derek said. "As little brother, I take it you approve of him?"

"Well, something like that." He walked to the living room, starting to carry his boxes in and set them on the desk. "I was told by JJ that I'll approve of him. Luckily, I _did_, but being told you like someone is something that should be taught at Henry's age, not around mine."

"Good point," Derek said, looking through some of his books. They were all over the place, including old textbooks, novels, thrillers, poetry, and even a few romantic stories thrown in there. "You're really all over the place with your reading material, aren't you?"

"When you have an eidetic memory, you kind of have to be," Spencer pointed out, setting down the last box. "Helping?" he asked, motioning toward the books.

He pulled off his jacket. "I don't have anywhere else to be."

* * *

It turned out that helping Spencer meant staying and putting the books in the _exact _order he wanted. He didn't go by genre, author's last name, size, or even by title, which all seemed to be normal methods to Derek. Spencer was different and organized his books by the publication date, _then_ author's last name. A few hours later, Derek stepped back to look at their handy work, eyebrows raised.

"I'd say we did a pretty good job," he said, crossing his arms in front of him.

Spencer put in the final stack of books, nodding. "I think so as well, though it's all going to change next time I go to the used bookstore, because then I'll have to add those in. But for the time being, it's great." He turned to Derek. "Thank you, they're amazing."

"Glad I could help. Besides, you were one tripping away from breaking an ankle or two, and I've seen your coordination on two working legs. I can only imagine you on crutches."

Spencer mock laughed, pointing his thumb toward the door. "Come on, I'm making lunch."

Once they were in the kitchen, Derek sat down at the table. "What are you making?"

Spencer opened his fridge, clicking his tongue and thinking to himself. "Are you opposed to grilled cheese sandwiches?"

"Can anyone be?"

"Good point." He took everything out, setting it on the counter. "Can I ask you something?" he asked, setting a pan on the stove and turning the stove on.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "You can ask me anything, what's up?"

"Well, I've told you about my mother, my not-so-much father, and my somehow adopted older sister. What about your family?"

He got up, walking to the kitchen and leaning against the counter. "Depends on what you want to know?"

Spencer handed him a water bottle, which he took, before shrugging. "I don't know. I feel like I've opened up to you like a book, which I usually don't do around new people, and I appreciate the fact that I haven't scared you away with it, but with how much I've shared, I feel it should be reciprocated?"

He took a sip of the water before nodding. "Fair enough. Ask away."

Spencer took out the bread, untying the twist tie. "Siblings?"

"Two, Sarah's older and Desiree's younger, so I had to be a baby brother and a big brother, and had to kick any guy's ass for even thinking wrong things about them. The lesson was learned quickly after I bulked up."

He raised an eyebrow, confused. "After?"

"What, you think I came out of the womb six feet tall and muscular? I wish. I was pretty much a beanpole until I hit a major growth spurt in high school, then started doing weight lifting and running. If you'd believe it, I was smaller than you."

Spencer laughed to himself. "That'd be a sight. What about your parents?"

"My mom's Irish, and she has the biggest heart of gold on the planet. I'd get into fights because I was a little bit of a rebel after Dad passed away, and she'd just wash me up, ask what happened, give me some painkillers and tuck me in. Though, if I was in the wrong, she'd make me apologize to them and need to witness it. She's kind of perfect though. She always listened, rarely yelled, bakes like a madwoman, and did everything she could so every night, there was food on our table."

"She sounds great."

Derek smirked. "Yeah, she really is. I know you want to ask, Spencer. Go ahead, I won't be mad."

He chewed on his cheek before sighing. "I hate to be invasive, but what about your father?"

Derek's grip tightened on his water bottle and he looked up at Spencer. "My father was a cop. Greatest man who could ever live. He was brave, smart, kind, loyal, and an amazing person. He put me into sports, and that's why I kept playing through college." He swallowed, clearing his throat. "I was ten years old, and it was dad's day off, so I was with him while he was running some errands. He was running inside and told me to wait in the car with the doors locked. A couple guys ran out of the store, he ran out after them, and I just felt something bad in the pit of my stomach. I looked up and I heard the gun… got out of the car, ran over, and he was gone. Nothing I could've done." He shook his head, exhaling. "One minute we were making plans to go to the Blackhawks game and the next, he's gone. It sucked and I turned into such a little prick after, but then I wisened up and realized that I was still here for a reason. Threw myself into my schoolwork, did all the sports I could, and I hope he's up there somewhere, proud of it."

"I'm sure he is," Spencer said softly, setting the sandwiches on a plate before reaching out, rubbing Derek's arm hesitantly. "And if it's any consolation, if there was some form of trade? I would gladly offer you my father to sacrifice for yours. Your father deserved to see you grow up. Mine chose to walk away."

Derek smiled slightly, wrapping his arms around Spencer and pulling him into a hug. "We've got all sorts of daddy issues, don't we?" he teased.

"Too many to count," Spencer said, muffled against his chest. He pulled back. "Come on, lunch is served."

The two of them ate their lunch in a comfortable silence, and once in a while, Spencer would click on his laptop.

Derek motioned toward it. "Solitaire?"

He smirked, shaking his head and turning it around. "School e-mail account. I sent him that assignment and all I want is to know my grade so I can stop stressing over it."

"You need to stop stressing before you give yourself an ulcer. Don't make me make you have fun again."

Spencer laughed softly, motioning toward his shoulder. "It went so well last time. Speaking of, take something. Medicine cabinet in the bathroom."

Derek opened his mouth to respond, but Spencer pointed a finger at him. Sighing, he walked to the bathroom and took out the bottle, popping two pills into his mouth, before swallowing and walking back. "Happy?"

He refreshed the page again and groaned. "For you, ecstatic. For myself, not so much."

* * *

After lunch, Spencer all but ordered Derek to go home and get some rest. Derek took his car keys from his pocket, turning to him.

"Promise me you won't spend the day glued to that laptop?" he asked, motioning toward it.

"Eventually I'll have to use the bathroom or cook myself a meal," Spencer said. When he saw Derek ready to say something, he rolled his eyes. "I'm _kidding_. See, humor, that thing you try to say I don't have a sense of?"

Derek laughed softly. "Okay, fine. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early," Spencer said, "I'll need my fix."

"Of me or the coffee?"

Spencer flicked his arm. "Very funny."

"You didn't answer," Derek pointed out.

Spencer leaned in, kissing his cheek, before patting his arm. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Answer received," Derek said with a smile, walking out and closing the door behind him.

* * *

Over the next week, Spencer came into the coffee shop his usual few times a day, and every time, Derek would ask how he did on his assignment, which was met with a frustrated groan and a headshake.

"He's seriously stressing this much over a grade?" Penelope asked.

"You should've seen him working on it. I'm pretty sure there was actually fire in his eyes. He finished it two weeks early, so the fact that his professor still hasn't graded it with less than a week to go is driving him absolutely insane. I'd hate to be that professor, because Spencer's probably shooting daggers at him right about now."

She laughed softly. "Wouldn't surprise me. Have you two discussed another date yet?"

He shook his head. "I don't think it'll happen until he gets this grade, but I can wait it out."

She smirked. "Good luck with that."

* * *

It wasn't until later that week that Spencer sent Derek a text, asking to meet him after his shift at the coffee shop. He quickly texted him back that it wouldn't be a problem and finished out his shift. At 4:00, he hung up his apron and walked out, sitting at a table.

"Enjoying yourself?" Penelope asked, digging through her purse for her car keys.

"Waiting for Spencer to get here. He wants to meet me for some reason."

"Ah, waiting for the mister," she said, taking her keys out and stuffing them into her coat pocket. "Be sure to let me know how it goes."

"Sure, if you'd like to go into great detail who _Sam_ is and why your face lights up every single time he texts you."

She scrunched up her face, shaking her head. "No thanks."

He laughed to himself. "Thought so."

She kissed her fingers, pressing them into his forehead. "Have fun, be responsible, don't break my Boy Wonder."

He saluted her and watched as she walked out, leaning back in his chair.

After a few minutes, Spencer walked in, a smile across his face as he walked over, sitting across from Derek.

"Somebody's in a good mood," Derek pointed out, sitting up straight.

Spencer nodded, opening up his bag and taking out his paper, setting it in front of Derek. "My professor printed and graded my assignment."

"...The one from, what was it, the depths of Tartarus?" he asked, reaching out for it and picking it up.

"That's the one. When I turned in my next assignment and that one still hadn't been graded, I think it lit a fire under him to get it done."

"I'll bet." He looked at the cover page, smiling and turning it around to Spencer. "You got a perfect score? Let me put on my best surprised face."

Spencer smiled. "I have you to thank for that. Your definition of 'fun' actually got me to let loose and distance myself from the assignment enough to clear my head, then give me enough to get it done exceptionally well."

"Come on, you're giving me too much credit."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not giving you enough. I used your advice for how you did your assignments and you're right, the professors may not like it, but it gave them all of the answers and made it so I had to get a perfect score. So thank you."

"In that case, I'm glad I could help."

"...Are you doing anything tonight?" Spencer asked, putting the paper back into his bag.

Derek thought to himself. "Friday, right?"

Spencer nodded. "All day."

He smiled, laughing to himself. "I'm busy later tonight, but if you want to do dinner or take-out or something, I'm game?"

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?" he asked, closing up his bag.

"Well, you know how I told you I have several properties?" When Spencer nodded, he smiled. "Of course, stupid question, asking if you remember something. Anyway, my shoulder's finally feeling better to the point where I can lift and build things again, so I was going to one of my other properties to do some work. If you want to do something though, I can put it off until tomorrow?"

Spencer shook his head. "No, it's fine, we can do take-out or something. I… think I'd actually like to see you get some of your work done, watch your process, if that's alright?"

Derek raised his eyebrows. "You want to see me working on a house? That's an exciting Friday night to you?"

"You've seen the types of things I do with my free time. It can't be any worse."

Derek thought it over before motioning toward his bag. "What's in there?"

"Just the assignment and a couple of books I'm reading for my personal enjoyment," Spencer said, opening it up and showing him. "I'm trying this little thing you keep mentioning called 'having fun', and carrying an assignment with me everywhere isn't doing me any favors."

"I'm impressed. How about this - we're going to be in one of my houses with a lot of loud noises and such, so in return, you get to pick what we get for takeout."

Spencer clicked his tongue. "Chinese, but with one condition."

"...I'm listening?"

"No chopsticks. Give me a fork."

Derek chuckled, nodding. "Consider it done."

* * *

Derek ended up ordering their food and picking it up on their way to the house.

Spencer looked out the window as they pulled up. "...This place doesn't seem so bad?"

"Yeah, because I've been working my ass off on the outside. Now I need to focus all of my attention on the inside," he said, grabbing the bags of food and getting out, closing the door behind him.

Spencer followed close behind as he walked up to the house. "Remember, this place is a work in progress, so it's kind of a dump. I already finished the kitchen and the bathroom, but the bedrooms and living room definitely need some work. Basically, don't judge a book by its cover, I guess."

"I'm sure it's fine."

Derek unlocked the front door, walking inside and going to the kitchen, setting the bags on the counter and unpacking them.

Spencer eyed the rest of the house before checking out the kitchen. "If the rest of this place is any indication? You've done a pretty great job."

"Thanks." He handed Spencer a plate and a fork, before opening the packages and making his own plate. "I can give you the grand tour or what it'll all be once we finish eating."

"Sounds interesting." Spencer opened the fridge, taking out a couple of water bottles. "Do you always keep the fridges in your places stocked with water and sports drinks?"

"Pretty much. I need to stay hydrated because while working on my first house, I ended up getting dehydrated and passing out. Luckily my sister was in town and came by to check on me, woke me up and took me to the hospital. It wasn't pretty."

Spencer finished making his plate, sitting down at the table. "Dehydration usually isn't." He picked up his fork, eating.

* * *

Once they were done, Derek threw away their trash and washed his hands. "So, want to see what I'm doing with this place?"

"Sure."

Derek led him into the empty space that was the living room. "The previous owner used this as two separate rooms, an office and a living room, but my idea is to open it up and make it one big living room. It'll be perfect for entertaining and be a huge draw to anyone who wants to buy the place."

Spencer nodded. "It makes sense."

He then walked to the bedrooms. "They had three separate bedrooms, but I figure it would make more sense to have two: one master and a smaller, possibly for a family just starting out. That way there's a bedroom big enough for two parents and possibly a bassinet or a crib further down the line, and then a bedroom for a kid. Either that or college kids can rent it out and have two people share this room with a divider, and there can be one mutual entry point to the master bathroom."

Spencer raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Do you always put that much thought into it?"

Derek nodded. "Pretty much. And today's the day I finish tackling the wall separating these two rooms."

"You're going to tear it down?"

He motioned toward the plastic lining the floor and picked up a pair of safety goggles. "Indeed. And if you'd like?" He grabbed another pair of goggles, holding them out. "You're welcome to work out some aggression and help me."

Spencer eyed the glasses before chewing on his cheek, taking them from him. "I've beaten you at go-karts and batting cages. I can beat you at your own game too."

Derek mock laughed as Spencer put on the goggles. "Then let's go, genius." He held out a hammer to him. "Swing away."

* * *

Derek was surprised to find that Spencer was rather good at working out his aggression and swinging at the wall.

"Okay, please tell me you're envisioning your professor's head or something, because you're insane at this," Derek said, lifting up his safety goggles.

Spencer laughed to himself, nodding. "I guess you could say I was envisioning a few things to keep me motivated." He pulled off the goggles, handing them back to Derek. "How did I do?"

"Considering the wall is now nearly non-existent? I'd say you did pretty well."

"Shoulder doing okay?" Spencer asked, pointing to it.

He nodded. "I'm sure it'll be tender later, but it feels fine."

"...Do you need to do anything else here today?"

Derek shook his head. "Considering I had help with the most difficult job, now all I have to do in here is clean up the floor, paint the walls, and put in the flooring. I'm sure I can start that soon."

"Would you possibly need help?"

Derek smiled. "If you're offering, I'm accepting. After seeing you all but tear a wall down with your bare hands, it'd be interesting to see what else you've got up those sleeves." He checked his phone. "It's late and I don't want you taking public transportation. Want me to drop you off?"

"That'd be nice."

* * *

He pulled up in front of Spencer's house, parking. "Do you want me to walk you to the door, or are you all set?"

Spencer looked out the window. "Seeing as JJ is peeking out the window, more likely than not waiting for something to happen, I think I can manage on my own. And suddenly, I'm glad your car has tinted windows."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Really, why's tha-" He was cut off by Spencer's lips against his and smiled.

Spencer pulled back. "Can I ask you something?"

"...Of course."

He cleared his throat. "Well, in a few days it's Halloween, and it just so happens to be my favorite holiday out of the year for a variety of reasons. And every year, JJ has this huge Halloween party where she invites old friends from college and I sort of have to go because it's either go or sit next door and listen to the party and get aggravated by all of the noise, so I guess-"

"Spencer?"

He looked up at Derek. "Yes?"

Derek smiled. "Are you asking me to be your date to JJ's Halloween party?"

"I'm trying to anyway."

"I'll be there." He leaned over, kissing his cheek. "What's your costume and do we need to match?"

"I'm working on it, and something in the Marvel comics universe would be appreciated, though isn't necessary," Spencer told him, putting his bag over his shoulder. "Surprise me on Sunday."

"Don't worry, I will. Is this going to be date number three?"

Spencer blushed. "Well, it is a social outing involving the two of us, so I'd say yes."

"In that case? I can't wait."

Spencer gave him another quick kiss, before getting out of the car. He quickly waved to JJ before walking into his place, closing the door.

Derek wrung his hands on the steering wheel before taking out his phone, texting Penelope.

_Are you going to JJ's Halloween party?_

His phone buzzed a couple of minutes later.

_Indeed, just like I do every year. Why, was your presence requested, and more importantly, by who?_

He laughed softly. _I have a date, and I think you know who. I could use some help with my costume._

_Consider it done! Meet me at my apartment tomorrow morning._

He tucked his phone into his pocket before shaking his head, smiling to himself and pulling out of the parking spot.


	7. Halloween

The next morning, Derek texted Penelope, asking if he needed to bring anything. She immediately messaged him back that he just needed to bring himself, which he found odd, considering they were going to be putting together a costume for him. Shrugging it off, he got into his car and drove to her apartment.

When she came to the door, she raised an eyebrow. "Wow, no Spencer attached to you? I'm in shock."

He mock laughed, stepping inside. "Have you done your costume yet?"

She scoffed. "I'm insulted that you doubt me. I decided to stick with Boy Wonder's Marvel theme and am taking on the persona of Black Widow."

"...So his costume is something involving Marvel. Are we talking X-Men universe, Spider-Man universe, or Avengers-universe?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.

She shook her head. "Sorry, nuh uh. Sworn to secrecy on the details, you'll find out tomorrow. Now comes the point where we need to dress _you_." She held up a shirt before tossing it to him. "Will that fit you?"

He checked the tag before nodding. "It'll be tight, but it'll fit."

"Good, _exactly _what I'm going for." She walked over to her closet, dragging out a mannequin with some sort of contraption built onto it.

"...And that is?" he dared to ask.

"Really, you're not catching on to this? You went with me to the first showing of the movie Derek, come on. Tight shirt," she pointed to the goggles hanging on the neck of the mannequin, "protective eyewear," she turned it around, motioning toward the contraption, "mechanical wings with armholes and easy functionality. Come on!"

He eyed it for a minute before smirking. "You're making me Falcon."

She pointed a finger at him. "And Bingo was his name-o. Do you still own those _deliciously_ tight black pants?"

He thought to himself. "What you refer to as my 'nut huggers' and 'booty highlighters'? Yes. Why?"

"Because those are your pants for the costume, and you need your black combat boots. Please tell me you didn't get rid of them."

He shook his head. "Still in my closet, I'll dig them out tonight. Why am I here?"

She pointed to the mannequin. "I need to custom-fit this to you and make it so you're not weighed down the entire party, and so if anyone tries to pull the 'what are you supposed to be' act, you can put out the wings, then retract them. It's going to be a process, but this is a favor, so don't you dare start whining."

He nodded, sitting on the couch. "If that's the case? Then you're not going to get any enjoyment from me being shirtless in your apartment, or wearing very tight clothing."

She sighed. "I guess I'll have to be okay with it."

With the smirk that followed, Derek shook his head. "Let's get to work."

* * *

"Shoulder feeling okay?" she asked, picking up a needle and sewing something onto the shirt.

"Feels fine," he said honestly, stretching it out to prove his point.

She clicked her tongue before pulling out her measuring tape. "Up, we've got some work to do." He stood up and she tapped his elbow. "Arms up."

He put his arms out. "Like this?"

"Perfect, don't move." She took the measuring tape and took his measurements, writing them down and humming to myself. "I can now add 'feeling up Derek Morgan' to my resume," she mumbled, picking up some fabric.

"Should I leave you to do this, or do you need my help, or-"

"I need you to do me a favor and stay out of my way, and I mean that in the nicest way possible." She pointed to the TV. "Make yourself comfy as I make a costume that will make your little Boy Wonder swoon."

"I'm not one to defy orders," he said, sitting down on the couch and grabbing the remote.

"Yeah, unless they're from your boyfriend."

He smiled, rolling his eyes before focusing on the screen, flipping through the channels.

* * *

It wasn't until a few hours later that Penelope called him back into the bedroom. He turned off her TV, walking back there.

"Yes, dear?"

She held out the shirt to him again. "Put this on."

He pulled off his shirt, putting that one on and looking at her. "Good?"

"Great," she said, holding up something that looked to be between a backpack and a jetpack. "Now this."

He raised an eyebrow, pulling on the straps and watching as she tightened them. She then handed him the goggles and he pulled them on, before holding out his arms and turning around. "How does it look?"

"If I didn't know you were Derek Morgan, I would swear you were Sam Wilson because _damn_. I am _good_!"

He looked over into her full length mirror and smiled. "Not too shabby, Baby Girl. What usually happens at this Halloween party?"

She shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Spencer usually puts himself on Trick or Treat duty, but this year we're banning him and forcing him to have some fun, so if you have any pointers they're welcomed. We drink, we laugh, we reminisce, we have good times, and it's just a really fun party. I'm glad you're joining in this year, because Spencer, I love him to bits, really I do, but that kid needs to learn how to not have a stick in his keister just for a few hours."

He laughed softly, unbuckling the front of the backpack and pulling it off. "I'll see what I can do. What time should I be there?"

"I'd say about 5:00, if that works for you? Finish your early morning shift, go home and nap for a couple of hours, go to the party, have a whole bunch of fun, and be grateful you're off the schedule the next day."

He gave her a thumbs up, changing his shirt. "Sounds good." He leaned in, kissing her cheek. "Thank you, sweetness."

"Anything for my favorite guy," she said, winking and nudging his arm. "Especially when he's taken our sweet little Spencer and taught him that there's more to life than school, school, and more school."

"I'm glad I could help."

She grabbed the parts of the costume, putting them into a bag and handing them to him. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Looking forward to it."

* * *

After his shift the next morning, Derek had gone back to his place to get a few hours of sleep in before he was going to be up all night at the party. He never really was the kind of person to go to a Halloween party, but it was something Spencer wanted to do, and it was Spencer's favorite holiday, so he was going to do it for him. He woke up from his nap and checked his phone to see a text from Spencer.

_Do you mind coming to my place before going to the party? JJ apparently wants us to 'make an entrance' as a couple, whatever that may mean._

Derek smiled, texting him back.

_I'll be there. Mind if I get in costume at your place? I don't think I could drive with my props._

A minute later, his phone buzzed.

_That's fine. You got Penelope's help, didn't you?_

_You bet._

Once he took Clooney for a walk, Derek packed up everything for his costume into a bag and put it into the backseat of his car. Pulling up to Spencer's place, he saw that their front yards were decorated for Halloween, Spencer's more than JJ's. Smiling to himself, he grabbed his backpack from the backseat before walking up to Spencer's door, knocking.

He heard Spencer groan loudly, throwing something down on the couch. "Trick or treating doesn't start for another hour. What is with children these days and thinking that this starts whenever they want it to?!" Spencer opened the door, blinking. "...And you're not an annoying child dressed in a Disney costume."

Derek laughed softly. "No, but that rant was priceless."

Spencer held the door open. "Come on in."

Derek stepped inside and noticed that Spencer's apartment had been completely decorated for Halloween. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said that Halloween was your favorite holiday."

Spencer shook his head. "What, you don't have a favorite holiday you decorate for?"

"Oh, I do, and it's Christmas, but I definitely can't compare to you and Halloween."

"Nothing does," Spencer said, shrugging. "If you need to get ready, you can use my bathroom if you'd like. Penelope told me that I'd be proud of her hard work… we'll see."

He held up crossed fingers and walked to the bathroom, closing the door.

* * *

When he walked out, he kept the goggles pushed up. "Spencer?" he called out.

"Just getting my arm on," Spencer said from the bedroom. Rather than questioning it, Derek shook his head, going to the living room and sitting down on the couch. He picked up the newspaper on the table and looked for the sports section, taking it out and reading to kill some time.

"Has Halloween always been your favorite holiday?" Derek asked, flipping through.

"Pretty much. I had to grow up pretty fast, considering everything at home, but on her best days, Mom wanted me to still stay a kid, and Halloween was the best way to do that. It's something I held onto all of these years. Is that odd?"

"Not at all, it makes perfect sense to me."

The bedroom door opened a few minutes later and Derek turned around to look at his costume. His hair was down in his face, and he was wearing a mask covering from his nose down, and he was wearing all black with a pair of black boots. The part of the costume that stuck out the most was his left arm, which was covered in some sort of silver material and there was a red star toward the top of it.

Derek smirked. "Bucky Barnes as The Winter Soldier. _Very_ nice."

Spencer pushed the hair out of his face and moving the mask, looking Derek over and shaking his head. "Penelope, I presume?"

"What gave it away?"

"We saw the movie together and said we _needed_ to be Black Widow and The Winter Soldier. If you came up with Falcon all on your own, it's quite an amazing coincidence."

Derek nodded. "Penelope. Did she do it justice?" he asked, putting his arms out and putting out the wings, turning around.

Spencer looked him over before nodding. "Definitely, though I'm surprised she didn't put you in comic Falcon's clothing, which is essentially red spandex."

He laughed to himself. "I'm glad she went with the movie universe." He motioned toward the door, holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

Spencer smiled slightly, linking his arm with Derek's. "We shall."

* * *

They walked out the front door just as JJ's party seemed to be picking up.

Derek turned to Spencer. "You sure you're ready for this? Party as a couple is kind of a step forward in this."

Spencer chewed on his cheek before firmly placing his foot in front of himself. "Step taken." He smiled at Derek, pulling on his arm and walking into JJ's house.

"The Winter Soldier and Falcon have arrived!" Penelope announced, walking over and hugging them. She had straightened her hair and dyed it back to the red/orange color Derek had seen on her before, and it was working perfectly with her costume.

"And so has Black Widow," Derek observed, giving her a once over. "Very nice."

"Indeed." She turned to Spencer. "How's the arm?"

"It's just tubing, easy on and easy off," he said, sliding it off and re-fastening it with velcro.

She gave him a thumbs up, wrapping an arm around Derek's neck. "This is mostly people from college, so you get to be the awkward one for a change and spare poor little Boy Wonder here," she said, nudging Spencer with her elbow. "But in all seriousness, eat, drink, and be merry."

He shook his head. "No can do, princess. I've got to drive home tonight, so I can eat and be merry, but the drink isn't happening."

Spencer clicked his tongue. "I'm not much of a drinker, so if you want, and just if you want, no pressure, you could have a few drinks and I could either drive you home or you can stay on my couch again?"

"I'll think about it."

She patted his cheek. "That's all I ask." She turned to the door and squealed in his ear. "Emily!" she screamed, releasing them and running over to the door.

Derek rubbed his ear, scrunching up his face. "Who is Emily and why is she worth deafening me?"

Spencer smiled. "Dorm-mates, I guess you could say? she lived in the dorm right next to Penelope and JJ, and they were like a sisterhood, if you will. She has some high-up job and they never really get to see her, so when she comes to the parties, it's a huge deal to them, and the three of them proceed to drink much more than they should."

"Sounds like fun."

He shook his head. "What's _really_ fun is calling them the next morning."

"You've done it?"

He shrugged. "Their parties have kept me up many a Halloween night, it's my right as a neighbor."

Derek smirked, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you say. Drink?"

"Whatever's bottled and guaranteed non-alcoholic. I learned the hard way to not trust JJ's so-called 'fruit punch'."

"Did you get a little tipsy?"

Spencer wrinkled his nose. "That depends, does _little_ imply stripping all of your clothes and running through the front yard?"

Derek bit down on his lip, a laugh slipping out. "I'm pretty sure that qualifies as a lot."

* * *

Spencer made himself comfortable on JJ's couch while Derek went to get them a few drinks. He looked around and saw that the non-alcoholic options were limited to water bottles and fruit punch juice boxes. He grabbed one of each and turned around to Spencer, holding them up and mouthing '_which one_'. When he saw Spencer pointing to the juice box, he gave him a thumbs up, putting the water bottle back down.

"How's the shoulder doin'?" Derek looked up to see Will making himself a drink.

He motioned toward it. "Good as new, but my pride is still a little hurt. Is this big bash your idea, or your wife?"

Will shrugged. "It was JJ's idea originally, to get Spencer to come out of his shell a little bit, since it's his holiday of choice, but then we realized that we're that couple that likes to host the parties. Not to mention we get to invite all of our old friends from college and have mini-reunions without having to deal with a reunion, you know?"

"Makes sense to me. Reunions are just awkward, at least this way you get to see who you want to see." He looked around. "I take it the little man's out for this?"

Will nodded. "JJ's mom was in town and wanted to take him out, then take him for the night. And as a parent, when someone offers a night away, you love your kid, but you take it."

"Gotcha." Derek reached into the cooler, taking out a beer. "Have a good one, man."

"You too."

He walked over, holding out the juice box to Spencer. "Enjoy the drink of a five-year-old."

Spencer smirked, taking out the straw and putting it into the juice box. "Don't worry, I will."

"Last call, you sure you don't mind either driving me home or me crashing on your couch?"

Spencer shook his head. "I don't mind at all. Enjoy yourself."

Derek opened the can, taking a sip and wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulder. "So, do you just _never_ drink, or are you not drinking tonight?"

"Well, considering I'm just a year above the drinking age as of a few weeks ago? I haven't had much time to legally drink, with school and everything."

Derek paused, turning to him. "Wait, a few weeks ago, you're a year above the drinking age, as in you've just turned 22?"

He nodded. "As of the 9th of the month."

"...We've been dating just over a month and you didn't tell me it was your birthday?"

Spencer shrugged. "I didn't want you to feel obligated to do something for me. I don't really _celebrate_ birthdays. We didn't when I was growing up, so I failed to see the point when I was grown up." He finished off his juice box. "JJ and Penelope try to insist on celebrating with cake and presents, and I go along with it, but for the most part, I don't care." He saw the shocked look on Derek's face and shrugged again, patting his shoulder and kissing his cheek. "Don't sweat it. I don't."

* * *

"Spencer, Emily wants to see you!" JJ called, trying to get him over.

"I look pretty much the same as I did this summer," he pointed out.

"Come on!"

He groaned, patting Derek's knee. "I'll be right back." He got up, walking over to JJ, and Derek watched as JJ ruffled his hair and gave him a hug, then he saw a dark-haired woman, who he assumed was Emily, hug him and pat his cheek.

"And over there is Spence's boyfriend," JJ said, pointing to Derek. "Can you say _wow_?"

Spencer blushed and gave Derek an apologetic look, but Derek shook his head, waving to Emily.

"I can definitely say _wow_, because _wow_. Does tall, dark, and gorgeous have a name?"

Derek took another sip of his drink before getting up, walking over and wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulder, putting out his other hand. "Derek Morgan."

She smirked. "Emily Prentiss," she said, shaking his hand. "Are you _sure_ you play for the other team?"

"Ignore them," Spencer mumbled under his breath. "They've been drinking far too much."

Derek kissed the side of his head. "Don't worry, I can handle it," he whispered, before turning back to her. "Unfortunately, sweetness, you're not my type."

She scoffed. "All the good ones, gay or married. Every last one of them." She eyed Penelope. "You're like, sure?"

"Honey, I've worked with him for years. Nothing I've tried worked. He's not interested."

Emily sighed, defeated, before looking at the two of them. "At least you're a cute couple," she said, picking up a tray of Jell-O shots and holding them out. "I say we toast to the cute couple and the fact that life sucks, because they're both extremely un-straight."

Derek laughed, reaching out and taking one, watching as all of the women did the same.

"Come on, Spence, you know Jell-O is your favorite," JJ said, waving one under his nose.

He sighed, taking it from her. "I like Jell-O, I hate vodka. You know this."

She pouted. "Please?"

Groaning, he took it from her. "One day, I'll learn to say no to you."

"Luckily it's not today." She held up her shot. "To Spence and Derek."

"Statuesque God of Chocolate Thunder and the Boy Wonder," Penelope added.

Emily held up her own. "To fate being cruel."

Derek smirked, taking his shot, and watching as Spencer did the same. "Good?"

Spencer wrinkled his nose, shaking his head and swallowing. "You ladies enjoy your cackling and gossiping. We're going to be over there," he said, pointing to the couch.

JJ ruffled his hair one last time as he walked away and Spencer sighed, patting it down.

Derek saw Spencer ready to speak and shook his head. "Don't apologize for them, it's fine."

"Yeah? I don't see your friends making you look like a complete idiot in front of me."

He laughed. "You just did. All of my friends are literally you, Penelope, and my family. Before the night is over, I guarantee she'll do _something_ to embarrass me."

"I hope so," Spencer mumbled, sitting on the couch and pulling Derek down beside him, resting his head on Derek's shoulder.

* * *

Over the course of the rest of the party, the two of them didn't do much social interacting with anyone but each other, but they did get to know each other better. They were able to share embarrassing stories from their childhoods, their favorite childhood memories, favorite movies, and they covered several other topics. Derek was lucky they had the chance to talk this much, and was grateful for JJ's Halloween party and the invitation.

As expected, Penelope had embarrassed Derek, walking over and kissing him on a dare from Emily, then sitting on his lap and sharing some stories with Spencer that he'd rather remain buried, including the time he'd gotten sick at work and made a mess of the store. Wrinkling his nose, he finished his drink and patted her back, motioning for her to go back to her friends.

"So, they had to shut down the whole store, huh?" Spencer asked, smirking.

"...I think I see another drink with my name on it," Derek mumbled, getting up and walking over to Will, who was making drinks. "Something strong to erase your wife's best friend telling embarrassing stories to my boyfriend?" Derek asked hopefully.

Will laughed softly, thinking to himself before making a drink. "I'm _very_ sorry. I cut them off, but something tells me early tomorrow morning, one of them is going to get a phone call and I'll be hearing all three of them complaining about it."

He held out the drink to Derek, who raised it in a silent cheers. "Thanks, man," he said, taking a sip and giving him a thumbs up, before sitting back on the couch beside Spencer.

Spencer moved in, wrapping his arms around Derek.

"How many drinks has JJ guilted you into?" Derek asked, looking down at him.

"The Jell-O shot and another shot. Now shh, I'm not inebriated, I'm comfortable."

Derek smiled, taking another sip of his drink, wrapping an arm around Spencer and rubbing his arm. "Me too."

Spencer rested his head on Derek's shoulder, smiling to himself.

* * *

When Spencer wanted to leave, Derek turned to him. "Are you _sure_ you don't want me to just go home?"

Spencer shook his head. "I don't mind your company, and I don't trust you driving. Put two and two together." He helped Derek up. "Besides, you need to sleep this off."

"I'm fine, Spencer. Believe me, I've been worse than this."

"Trust me, I don't doubt that. College athlete? You've definitely been worse." He walked up to JJ, waving. "We're going to head out. See you tomorrow or whenever you may emerge from the deep caves of your hangover."

JJ smiled, patting his cheek. "Did you have fun?"

"I did, thank you." He waved to Penelope and Emily. "Always a pleasure."

"...So are you two going home _together_?" Penelope asked, pointing between the two of them.

Derek gave her a thumbs up and Spencer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's intoxicated and I'm not letting him drive home, so he's sleeping on my couch."

"Have fun you two," Emily said, winking at them.

Spencer shook his head, walking out with Derek and closing the door behind him. "I'm calling her so much earlier than I usually do," he mumbled, taking his house key out of his pocket and walking over, unlocking the front door and holding it open, helping Derek inside.

"Spencer, I'm _fine_," Derek insisted.

"Uh huh," Spencer said, opening the hall closet and taking out some blankets and pillows. "I'm sure you are."

"Really, I'm good. I can walk home, it's not that bad."

"So I can hear on the news tomorrow morning that a drunken idiot started a bar brawl and have to see your face in a mugshot? No, thank you." He walked over to the couch, making up a bed, then helping Derek out of his costume. "If you need anything, I'll be right in my room."

Derek nodded, shrugging off the backpack and pulling off his shirt.

"I am suddenly very glad that my nosy neighbor is so intoxicated she's not outside, and she's not going to see anything," he said, closing the curtains and going to the kitchen to grab a water bottle. He set the bottle on the table, along with a few Tylenol. "Take those and get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

Derek saluted him, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss.

Spencer smiled. "Good night."

"Night, Spencer," Derek mumbled, popping the pills into his mouth and swallowing, before taking a sip of the water.

Spencer walked back to his room, turning off the lights as he went. Derek kicked off his pants and kept on his boxers, turning to Spencer. "Hey, Pretty Boy?" he called out.

Spencer turned around to face him. "Yeah, Derek?"

Derek smirked. "I love you."

Spencer smiled, shaking his head. "Good night, Derek." He turned off the light for the hallway and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Derek woke up the following morning, sitting up on the couch and squinting, forgetting where he was and how he had ended up there. He realized he was on Spencer's couch and tried to piece together everything from the night before.

When Spencer's bedroom door opened, Spencer had his phone in hand. "Good, you're up. Can I borrow your phone?" he asked, walking over and holding out his hand.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, picking up his pants off of the floor and digging through his pocket, taking out his phone and handing it to Spencer.

"4:15 in the morning," Spencer said, sitting in his armchair. "Last night I was able to take Emily's phone and change the ringtone to a car horn, and JJ's to an alarm clock."

Derek ran a hand over his scalp before rubbing his temple. "...When did you have time to do this?"

"When Penelope had pulled you aside to take 'costume selfies'." He put his phone on speaker, dialing.

Derek reached over on the table, picking up the water bottle and taking a sip. "Is this your revenge?"

Spencer nodded, putting a finger to his lips.

There was a loud whine and a sigh. "This is Emily Prentiss," Emily said, and Derek could tell her head was more likely than not still buried in her pillow.

Spencer smirked. "Good morning, ladies."

Emily groaned. "JJ, I fucking _hate_ your little brother, un-adopt him."

"If the forms existed, I would."

"Everyone, stop with the yelly voices!" Penelope said. "Too many drinks, not enough sleep, now _shush!_"

"You're yelling!"

Derek bit his lip, smiling to himself and listening to the argument. "Does this happen every time?"

Spencer nodded, sitting back and listening in. "They always forget I'm on the other end, argue with each other for a good ten minutes until they just give up, hang up, and go back to sleep. And yet they _still_ answer the phone."

"...Why did you need my phone?" he asked, pointing to it.

He put up his finger, dialing JJ's house phone. "Just listen."

They heard stumbling and shuffling before JJ answered the phone. "This had better be some sort of emergency, I swear to _God_."

Spencer reached over, hanging up the phone and tossing it back to Derek.

"All of this for embarrassing you last night? Kinda harsh."

He shook his head. "If you knew the previous parties when I didn't have a date, you'd be finding me more phones."

Derek leaned back on the couch, listening to them bicker at each other. "Can I go back to sleep, or are you going to need me for anything else?"

Spencer waved his hand. "Go back to sleep, I'll make breakfast when you get up."

He raised an eyebrow. "Technically, shouldn't I be waking you with breakfast, considering you let me stay here?"

Spencer shook his head, biting his lip to hold back a laugh as Penelope called Emily an 'uppity twat'. "It's on me this time."

Derek pointed to the phone as he pulled up the blanket. "...How long do they usually hate each other like this?"

"Just as long as the conversation goes, really. They bicker and argue, go back to sleep, wake up and they're best friends again. It's part of the hangover process."

Derek smiled slightly, shaking his head and fixing the pillow behind him before letting his eyes slip shut.

* * *

When Derek finally woke up, he sat up, stretching on the couch.

"Morning," Spencer said, not looking away from the book he was reading.

Derek reached over, checking the time on his phone and raising his eyebrows, impressed at how late he slept. "Morning. Did you get back to sleep?"

Spencer nodded, turning the page. "For a few hours, after I was called an, and I quote 'evil little shit' by Emily and 'the inner-makings of a Dalek' by Penelope."

Derek laughed softly. "And JJ?"

"Looking up how to officially un-adopt someone you unofficially adopted." He paused. "Oh, and I'm a 'total prick'." He shrugged. "Breakfast?"

"Sounds great." He pulled on his pants. "I'm gonna head out to my car and get some clothes, maybe take a quick shower. Do you mind?"

Spencer shook his head. "Not at all."

Once out of the shower and changed, Derek walked out to the kitchen and saw Spencer cooking. He took a seat at the table, resting his head on his hand and looking over at him.

"What are you making?"

"Pancakes and scrambled eggs," Spencer said, motioning toward the pans. A few minutes later, he walked over, setting the plates on the table. "And breakfast is served."

Derek picked up a couple of pancakes, putting them on his plate and grabbing the butter. "Can I ask you something without you embarrassing me about it?"

Spencer shrugged. "Depends on what it is?" he said, putting ketchup on his scrambled eggs, along with some pepper.

He buttered his pancakes before cutting them up. "Did I do or say anything stupid last night? When I drink, things tend to slip out and I make an idiot of myself."

Spencer paused, picking up his fork and cutting up his scrambled eggs with it. "You said some things."

"...Like?" Derek asked, pouring syrup onto his plate and taking a bite of his food.

He cleared his throat. "We talked most of the night, it was nice and sweet, we came back here, I put you to bed, and you may have used a certain phrase."

"Excuse me?"

Spencer gripped his coffee cup, taking a sip and setting it down, swallowing. "Before you passed out, you said 'I love you'." He shrugged. "I get it, you were intoxicated and it happens. I'm not mad."

Derek sat there, stunned. He'd planned on finding a nice way to tell Spencer about this, maybe after a nice date or a good day for the two of them, him at work and Spencer at school. He never intended to say it when he was drunk and it could be taken as something that just slipped out with no meaning. "Spencer-"

Spencer shook his head. "Don't worry about it. The few times I was intoxicated, I said things I didn't mean as well."

Derek opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't come up with the right way to explain himself, so the rest of their meal was spent in an awkward silence.

* * *

After breakfast, Derek did the dishes. He walked out to the living room to find Spencer working on some assignment. Sitting on the couch, he rested his elbows on his knees, chewing on his cheek and turning to Spencer.

"Can we talk?"

Spencer tucked a bookmark into his textbook, setting it on the table. "We can…" He tucked his legs underneath himself. "About what?"

Derek clasped his hands together. "What I said last night."

Spencer shook his head, giving Derek a small smile. "You don't have to. I understand that you'd had a few drinks and things like that just slip out. It's fine, I'm not offended."

He sighed. "It's not like that. I need to tell you something, but I need you to not be scared by it."

Spencer looked at him, curious. "...Okay?"

Derek exhaled, wringing his hands. "It's going to sound ridiculous, probably even premature, but the night we went out and I showed you how to have fun, and you took care of me after I got hurt? That's the night that I realized… I have _very_ strong feelings for you. In the past, I haven't gotten these kinds of feelings this early in a relationship, and honestly? It kind of scared the shit out of me, but then I realized that… I have no reason to be scared. I can't deny what I feel."

"...Derek, you're rambling." Spencer pointed to himself. "That's my job."

Derek smiled slightly. "Sorry. The point I'm trying to make is… that is something I wanted to say for a couple of weeks now, and I just wanted the perfect opportunity to say it. Unfortunately, Drunk Derek beat me to the punch."

"Excuse me?"

He reached out, taking Spencer's hand and squeezing it. "This relationship… I've fallen hard and fast, but I don't regret anything. I love you, Spencer. Sobered up, completely in my right mind, I mean it." He saw Spencer's face freeze up and waved his hand in front of it, whistling. "Spencer, did you hear me?"

Spencer blinked, clearing his throat and nodding. "Yeah, um, I heard you. It's just the comprehending I'm having trouble with. We've been together less than two months and you've brought in a word I thought didn't come out for several more months."

"You don't need to feel obligated to say it back, I just ask that you don't run for the hills and stop answering my phone calls."

He smiled slightly. "Come on, I get a guy like Derek Morgan, I can't exactly walk away." He squeezed Derek's hand, licking his lips and thinking. "I care about you, Derek, I do, but to me… that phrase means a lot, and I'm not personally in a place where I'm ready to use it. Not to say I won't say it, but, I just, I'm not ready to say it. I'm sorry."

Derek shook his head. "Don't sweat it." He leaned over, kissing Spencer's cheek. "I'm not offended."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He lifted Spencer's chin, giving him a quick kiss. "I'm going to head home, I'm sure Clooney misses me. Give me a call later, or just shoot me a text?"

Spencer nodded. "No problem. Thank you."

Derek gathered up his clothes, putting them into his bag and zipping it up. He gave Spencer a kiss before walking out, closing the door behind him, and digging his car keys out of his pocket. RIght about now, he wished he could go back in time and put some duct tape over Drunk Derek's mouth to stop him from being such an idiot. Shaking his head, he got into the car, starting it and hoping to clear everything out of his head.

* * *

**Author's Note:** There may be a delay in posting the next chapter - I have a family wedding coming up and little to no time to get writing done, but I will get it written and posted ASAP!


	8. Bonding

At work on Tuesday, Derek crossed his arms, looking at Penelope. "How was the hangover?"

"Spencer Reid is an evil little genius and I'm plotting my revenge, I just haven't thought of the right way to do it. What about you? You had another sleepover."

He scoffed. "It was very uneventful. I passed out from drinking so much, woke up, we had breakfast, and I went home. That's it."

"Damn, you two may just be the most boring couple in America. Congratulations."

He mock laughed. "Maybe we'd be more interesting if someone had told me that his birthday just passed and I'm a horrible boyfriend for not doing anything."

She gasped. "You didn't do anything?!"

"Nobody told me!" he said, defending himself. "You didn't, JJ didn't, _he_ didn't."

She paused for a second before shrugging. "I mean, it kind of makes sense. He doesn't really do the whole birthday thing, so I can see why he wouldn't tell you."

"But still, you and JJ did something for him and I had to hear about it several weeks later in the middle of a conversation."

"Okay, that's kinda my fault," she said, tapping her fingers on the counter. "Did he seem bummed out or anything?"

"No, he just sort of shrugged it off and then we changed the subject. But come on, I'm a pretty shit boyfriend if I can't even do something for his birthday."

"Well it's never too late?" she suggested. "You could do something next Tuesday, for the one month anniversary of his 22nd birthday?"

He sighed. "I'll bite. Why would I do that?"

"To show him how much you care, because something tells me that something happened between you two, because you didn't start the shift talking about the party or anything involving Spencer, meaning there was a _super_ awkward moment you've yet to tell me about. So I gave you a great idea. Are you going to tell me?"

"I'm sorry, but it's staying between the two of us."

"That bad, huh?"

He raised his eyebrows and checked the clock, looking at the time. "Time to unlock the doors," he spoke up, walking to the front door and unlocking it, walking back to the register and logging in.

"This isn't over," she said, taking out her Sharpie.

"Yes, it is."

* * *

When Spencer came into the shop later that morning, Penelope seemed to glare at him, and he gravitated toward Derek's line.

"Give a person an early wake-up call after a night of embarrassing you one time and apparently it's the end of the world," he said, shaking his head and looking at Derek.

Before he could open his mouth, Derek wrote his order down on the cup, starting to make it. "Are you busy a week from today?" he asked, taking out the whipped cream.

"Just with my classes, then I'm free. Why?"

Derek shook up the canister, putting it on top of his drink. "I have plans, and I wanted to know if you would join me."

Spencer shrugged. "That depends. Is it home improvement related, and will I possibly need to take you to the emergency room?"

He laughed to himself. "Not quite working on it yet, and I'm not planning on it. So, yes or no?"

He thought it over, handing Derek his card. "...Yes. Can I know what it is?"

Derek took it, swiping. "Not quite yet." He handed him his card and receipt. "Have a nice day."

Spencer turned to Penelope. "...Doesn't he know I hate surprises?"

Penelope put up her hand before walking away.

"...I think she's giving you the silent treatment," Derek said, sliding his drink over to him. "Good luck with that, it's dangerous."

Spencer raised his eyebrows before picking up his drink, taking a sip and adjusting his strap on his bag, walking over to a table and sitting down.

Derek turned to her, smirking. "Seriously, silent treatment?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm still slightly hungover and his phone call didn't help, so yes, seriously the silent treatment."

* * *

Over the next week, Derek did his best to get everything he could to think of the perfect way to belatedly celebrate Spencer's birthday. He knew he wasn't a fan of alcohol, so taking him out drinking was definitely out of the question. He knew he had a very wide interest in movies, but didn't want to choose a bad one for them to see and never live it down. He finally set up some plans that he was happy with and couldn't wait to surprise Spencer.

On Tuesday, Spencer texted Derek, wondering what he needed to do. Derek messaged him back, letting him know that he should come by the coffee house, drop off a key to his house, and spend some time away until later that day. It took a lot of convincing and a phone call from Penelope to reassure him that Derek had good intentions. Spencer came by after his second class and set the key on the counter.

"That's my spare, but don't lose it," Spencer said.

Derek handed him his drink. "I promise."

"And you won't move anything around or change anything?"

Derek took his card, swiping it. "If anything gets moved, I'll move it right back. I promise."

Spencer looked at him cautiously before picking up the key, putting it into his hand. "Don't make me regret this."

"Don't worry, I won't." He winked at Spencer. "Have a good one."

Spencer eyed Penelope. "Judging by the phone call, you're in on this too?"

She nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "And I promise everything he promised on top of a promise that I won't let him screw up."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "...Thanks?"

"Does this mean you forgive me for the wake-up calls?" he asked hopefully, taking a sip of his coffee.

"...This time."

"I'll take it." He waved to the two of them before walking out.

Derek spun the keychain around on his finger. "Please tell me he's going to like this?"

She thought to herself and shrugged. "I don't know. He's definitely not the type you can read like a book, but if it were me? I for one would love it."

He held up crossed fingers and she laughed, nudging him. "Come on, one more hour and we can get that answer ourselves."

* * *

Derek unlocked the door to Spencer's apartment, stepping inside. "And you're sure his favorite is chocolate cake?"

Penelope nodded, pushing past him and walking to the kitchen. "I've made it for him and seen him light up at it enough times. Besides, he can _never_ turn down my baked goods."

He walked over. "So do I get to see it now?"

She opened the container, showing it to him. "Yes, that is 'Happy Belated Birthday, Spencer' written out in binary. I did 'Happy Birthday' in it for him a couple of years ago and he absolutely loved it."

He set a bag on the counter, taking out assorted decorations. "And he'll appreciate all of this and not pull that Spencer thing of 'it doesn't matter, I don't care'?"

"He should anyway." She turned to him. "You ordered his favorite dinner, right?"

"Indeed I did, and it'll be ready for you to pick up in about an hour." He pulled out a banner, looking at her. "Seriously?"

"What? I don't see anything wrong with it."

He pointed to the banner, which said 'Happy Unfortunately Belated Birthday, Spencer'. "Was this necessary?"

"It is belated, and it _is_ unfortunate that he never mentioned it. I fail to see a problem."

He shook his head, picking up some pins and hanging the banner.

"So, he has the world's worst sweet tooth? Is that a recent development or has he always been that way?" Derek asked.

"Oh, always. Back when I met him, he always had some sort of candy on him, and I'm pretty sure it was a different kind every day."

He gripped the counter, looking at everything he'd bought. "He's not used to birthdays. What if he doesn't appreciate this?"

"Honey, if he doesn't, I'd be happy for you to switch sides and I'll snatch you up myself."

He smirked. "And you think he'll like it?"

She counted it off on her fingers. "You ordered his all-time favorite dinner, his favorite dessert, you're showing him that you care by giving him a birthday, decor in his favorite color, a ton of different sweets, some of his favorite movies, _and_ some amazing Doctor Who gifts. Believe me, he's going to absolutely love it, though he's going to be awkward about it."

"Thanks for getting me into Doctor Who so I could know what all of this stuff was."

She smiled, kissing his cheek. "You're very welcome."

Shortly before Spencer got back to the apartment, Penelope kissed his cheek before heading out. "Let me know how it goes, and if there's another sleepover."

He gave her a thumbs up, giving her a hug and kissing the top of her head. "Thank you."

"Anytime." She picked up her purse. "And don't forget to put the snuggly blankets on the couch."

He nodded, walking over and pulling some blankets out of a bag, setting them on the couch. He looked around at his hard work and took a deep breath, hoping all of this would go over well.

* * *

His phone went off in his pocket and he pulled it out, checking his messages.

_Am I allowed to enter my own place, or do I need to knock first?_

He smiled to himself. _I'd say knock. It'll work better_.

_Okay, whatever that means. I'll see you in a few minutes._

Derek laughed softly, putting the movies on top of his player and sorting them, before stretching slightly, crossing his fingers.

When there was a knock on the door, Derek took a deep breath and exhaled, walking over and opening it.

"Welcome home."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "...Thank you?" He took his bag off of his shoulder, walking inside and setting it on his armchair. "Sorry if I'm late. I had to finish some groupwork for one of my classes, and let me tell you, I'd have rather been getting my teeth pulled out individually without novacaine."

"It couldn't be that bad, could it?"

Spencer scoffed, pulling off his jacket, setting it down, before unwrapping his scarf and putting it on the hook by the door. "You'd be surprised. So, why couldn't I come to my own apartment for the last few hours?"

Derek held up his arms. "...Surprise."

Spencer looked around and saw all of the decorations, along with the banner. He smiled to himself, seeing trays of food in the kitchen and what was sure to be one of Penelope's cake containers on the counter. "What's all of this?"

Derek shrugged. "I know that you said birthdays aren't a big deal, but I wanted you to know that to me, it's a huge deal, and I want to show that I appreciate you."

Spencer laughed softly. "I know you appreciate me, you didn't need to do this."

"I know I didn't need to. I wanted to." He leaned in, kissing Spencer's cheek. "Hungry?"

"After two hours in the library with neanderthals? _Starving_."

He smirked, picking up the trays and walking over to the table, setting them down. "Dinner is served."

"I guessed you're a wine guy," Derek said, walking over to the fridge.

Spencer nodded, picking up his fork. "I am, and I prefer red."

Derek reached in, taking out the bottle and holding it up. "I'm _really_ good at guessing." He poured Spencer a glass, setting it down on the counter, and grabbed himself a water bottle.

Spencer smirked. "I'm impressed." He took a sip, setting his glass down. "How did you know I liked this?" he asked, pointing his fork into the tray.

"We talked about it at the Halloween party. You told me when you moved in, JJ took you to dinner there, and it tasted like home. I remembered that and I picked it up."

"I thought I was the one with the good memory," Spencer teased, taking another bite.

"You've got the eidetic, I've got the selective. I may mess up a few orders once in a while at the coffee shop or forget something when I go to pick up things for my houses, but I remember things that are genuinely important."

Spencer smiled to himself. "I appreciate that." He pointed to the streamers and balloons. "Not that I'm doubting your abilities, but those have Penelope written all over them." He pointed to the banner. "Especially that."

"Streamers and balloons were me, but the banner? I'll admit that was all her."

"So was all of this your idea, or hers?" he asked.

He pointed to himself, swallowing the food in his mouth. "Her suggestion, but all me. I hope you don't mind, but I have a few other things planned."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Finish dinner and you'll find out."

"Someone's bossy," Spencer said, smirking and taking another bite.

"Do you need to do anything tonight?" Derek asked, cleaning up the kitchen.

Spencer thought to himself. "I finished all of my notes and work at the library earlier, so no. Why?"

He washed his hands before putting up a finger, walking to the living room and holding up the DVDs. "Because you're going to be busy."

Spencer eyed the cases. "The Day of the Doctor and The Avengers. I'm impressed."

"As well you should be, Derek said, smiling. "Which first?"

"Surprise me," Spencer told him, walking over to the couch, and pulling one of the blankets over himself. "And please tell me this blanket can stay?"

Derek opened one of the cases, putting in the movie. "All yours. Consider it part of your gift."

Spencer looked at him, confused. "...Gift?"

He reached beside the couch, grabbing a gift bag and handing it to Spencer, before sitting beside him and pulling his own blanket over him. He wrapped himself in the blanket, putting a pillow behind his back. "What, you think I'd celebrate your birthday and not get you a gift? I'm already a month late on the celebrating, I had to do something."

Spencer shook his head. "This has been great, you didn't need to do anything."

"I didn't _need_ to, I wanted to. I know you're new to the whole birthday thing, but I enjoy doing nice things for the people I care about, and celebrating them."

He smiled, reaching in the bag and pulling out the tissue paper. "This wrapping job has Penelope written all over it," he mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, she insisted."

Spencer pulled out a travel mug covered in Doctor Who quotes, smirking. "What, you want me to make my own coffee now?"

"No, but I think it'd be a good idea for you to have, considering I've seen you without coffee and it's not pleasant."

Spencer wrinkled his nose. "_Thanks_." He then reached in the bag and took out some Doctor Who pins. "'You Never Forget Your First Doctor', huh? Who was yours?"

"I'm a next generation Whovian, so sorry to say I started with Nine."

He shrugged. "It beats the people who only started watching for Eleven and never bothered to look into the previous doctors." He reached in again, taking out some journals, smiling. "Bad Wolf and River Song's Diary. Very nice."

"I thought so."

Spencer put everything back into the bag, leaning over and wrapping his arms around Derek, pulling him into a hug before kissing his cheek. "Thank you, it's very sweet."

Derek rubbed his back. "I'm glad you like it. Now, considering the theme of your gift, I think it's only appropriate that we enjoy Ten, Eleven, and of course, John Hurt's War Doctor."

Spencer nodded, leaning against him as Derek pressed play.

* * *

The two of them watched, occasionally adding their own commentary. During the Doctor Who special, they talked about their favorite episodes and their favorite Doctors. Derek learned that Spencer's favorite was Four, while Spencer learned that Derek's was Nine. Spencer's favorite villain was the Daleks, while Derek's were the weeping angels, despite the outcome of them. Spencer also didn't hesitate to open up the different bags of candy, sampling them. When the movie finished, Derek patted Spencer's arm.

"I need to get up and change the movie."

Spencer groaned. "Fine." He sat up, fixing the blanket around himself as Derek opened the player. "Drink?"

"Sure, I'll take a water." He took the disc out, putting it back into the case, before taking the other one out. "I judged by the Halloween costume you were a Marvel fan?"

"You guessed correctly," Spencer said, walking in and setting two water bottles on the table. "Though I have an equal-sized portion of my heart devoted to DC. I can't choose a comic universe, it's a sin."

Derek smirked, walking over and pulling the blanket over himself. "Good life choice." He held out his arm and Spencer leaned over, resting his head against Derek's chest.

"So I take it you're a Bruce Banner fan?"

Spencer shrugged, taking a bite of a sour belt. "I guess you could say that. Much like with comic universes, I'm an equal opportunity superhero fan. There's no one Avenger I prefer to another, and I don't dislike anyone."

"Come on, not even a little bit?"

He thought to himself, wrapping Derek's arm around him. "If I had to dislike anyone, just in this specific film? I don't know, maybe Hawkeye, because we really don't get his true character. I mean, he's possessed for most of it. What we do see is genius and brilliant, but it's not enough to make anyone really _love _the character I suppose." He eyed Derek. "What about you? Any character dislikes in the Avengers universe?"

"Grandpa Rogers I guess."

Spencer nudged him with his elbow. "That's not nice! He's only been unfrozen for a couple of weeks when the events of The Avengers take place, so he's not quite used to modern terminology or anything."

Derek glanced at him. "So what, you relate to the old man?"

He shrugged. "Well, sort of. You've said it yourself, I'm not really with modern times. I may have the brains to be a Bruce Banner or a Tony Stark, but I'm definitely more of a Steve Rogers."

He raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me you're actually in your 90s and you look that good? Tell me your secret."

Spencer wrinkled his nose, grabbing the pillow behind him and hitting Derek with it. "I liked you better when you were injured and delusional."

Derek laughed softly, patting his arm. "I'm sure you did."

* * *

Once the movie was over, Derek turned to Spencer. "Cake?"

Spencer hummed to himself before shrugging. "That depends."

"...On?"

"You don't seem like a baker, so on the fact that Penelope was invasive and made it."

He smiled, nodding. "She insisted on making her double chocolate cake for you, said it's your favorite."

"She was right." Spencer got up, walking to the kitchen and grabbing plates out of his cabinet, setting them on the counter.

Derek followed, taking a candle out of a box on the counter and putting it in the middle of the cake lighting it and humming Happy Birthday.

Spencer looked at him, curious. "What are you doing?"

"It may be a month late, but we _are_ celebrating your birthday, so it's only fair that you get to make another wish."

"Oh?"

"Yes, oh." Derek finished humming the song before motioning toward the cake. "Make a wish."

Spencer took a breath, thinking to himself, before blowing out the candle, pulling it out of the cake and smiling. "Satisfied?"

"Indeed." Derek cut into the cake, putting the slices on separate plates and picking one up, along with a fork. "You know, I've been working with Penelope for years and she's _never_ made me this."

Spencer shrugged, taking a bite. "She must not like you as much as she likes me."

Derek put a hand to his chest, faking pain, before taking a bite. "...Oh she _definitely_ likes you more if she makes this for you whenever you want it. Now, let's just hope it's not poisoned as one last bit of revenge for your wake up call." He saw Spencer pausing before taking another bite. "I'm _kidding_. If anything, she'd put something in your coffee. Just stick to my line for a while."

Spencer picked up a bit of frosting, throwing it at Derek's face. "That's not funny."

"Really?" He reached over to his cheek, putting the frosting on his finger and licking it. "I think it's hilarious."

* * *

After they stayed up talking for a while, Derek checked the time on his phone and sighed.

"I've got to get home to the furry little one, and you need some sleep for school tomorrow."

Spencer nodded, picking up their glasses and walking over to the sink, setting them inside. "So I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"You bet, I'll have your usual tooth rotter for you in no time."

Spencer elbowed him, smiling. "Thanks."

"I've seen you without coffee. Trust me, I'm doing the world a favor."

His smile grew. "I meant for tonight. Aside from JJ and Penelope, nobody ever really makes a big deal about my birthday. I know I say it doesn't matter and I don't need it, but it's nice to be noticed, especially when you've spent a good portion of your life invisible."

"It was my pleasure. Honestly."

He nodded, wrapping his arms around Derek's neck and pulling him in for a kiss. He pulled back, resting his forehead against Derek's. "I'm still not ready to say it, Derek," he said softly, avoiding eye contact.

Derek shook his head. "You don't have to be."

"I know, but," Spencer swallowed before looking him in the eyes. "Tonight was a definite step in the direction of being ready to say it. I can't tell you when, I can't tell you how, but this? It's feeling right, and I just-"

Derek put a finger to his lips. "I get it." He moved his finger, giving him a quick peck. "I'll see you in the morning."

Spencer nodded, walking him to the door, opening it and resting his hand against it. "Will you accept an 'I greatly appreciate your company and feel some kind of way toward you'?"

Derek smiled, nodding. "Gladly." He took his keys out of his pocket, walking toward his car and getting in, starting it.

* * *

The next day at work, Derek had to divulge every bit of information from the night before to Penelope, as payment for her help planning it.

"So he liked the movies?" she asked, cleaning up the counter.

He nodded. "Doctor Who and The Avengers? Perfect night. It also gave us opportunities to talk about certain things."

She raised an eyebrow. "_Things_? What are things?"

He shrugged slightly. "Nothing overly exciting. Just our favorite things about them. Doctors, superheroes, companions, plots - those kinds of things."

"So you two are already a boring couple? I'm not surprised but damn."

He shook his head, looking over at the door. "It's about that time."

"Spencer time?"

"And he looks _pissed_."

"Good luck."

Spencer walked up to the counter, slamming his books down and looking at Derek.

"And why do you have a permanent 'I'm going to murder someone in their sleep' face?" Penelope asked.

"Does this have anything to do with group work?" Derek asked, reaching for a cup and writing his order on the side before starting to make it.

He ran a hand over his face, groaning. "The least a professor could do is put me in a group with people at least somewhat near my level in intelligence. Not three completely incompetent _idiots_ who can't do anything. I understand, he wants me to bring them up, but at this point, they're dragging me down and I'm going to snap."

Penelope raised an eyebrow, motioning toward him. "...And this isn't snapped?" He gave her a look and she put her hands in the air. "Hushing, shushing, and butting out."

He looked at Derek. "I know I said I'd be by one of your houses this week to help you out, but unfortunately, it seems all of my free time this week will be spent doing this project on my own, then attempting to dumb it down to their intelligence level and make it seem like they actually did something. Then at some point, I need to meet up with them to pass said 'dumbing down' by them to be sure they understand what the hell they're doing, come up with a presentation schedule to figure out which of them says what when, and make sure they know what the hell it all means before we present it on Monday." He exhaled, eyeing Derek. "_Coffee_."

Derek slid his coffee over to him, taking his credit card and swiping it. "So I take it you'll be by your usual times?"

"I still need my lifeline," he said, taking a sip and sighing. "But, unfortunately, no remodeling, no extra visits, _nothing_ until I'm done with the Three Stooges."

"Nice nickname," Derek said, handing the credit card back ."Good luck, and my phone is going to be on if you need to text or rant or send pictures of your head bursting into a million pieces."

He mock laughed, taking another sip of his drink and picking up his books. "Just came from class dealing with them, and now I need to spend an hour in the library working on this project with them, go to my next class, come here, then meet with them _again_. Group work is something the devil came up with, I swear it."

"Good luck again," Derek told him, then watched as he walked out.

"Oh, he is _not_ a happy camper. Derek Morgan, I'd like you to meet stressed-out Spencer Reid. He's not pretty, he's very emotional, and you avoid him at all costs until he's done stressing."

He nodded. "Consider it noted."

* * *

Over the next couple of days, as he had been warned, Spencer was the exact opposite of social. He would come in for his coffee, enjoy the small talk, and then head out, dreading getting to his destination. Derek would try texting him to give him a small distraction or calm him down for a while, but usually he would only get one word responses or Spencer wouldn't respond until he got back from the library later that night.

"I'll gladly take advice at this point," Derek said, cleaning off the counter.

"Oh?" Penelope said, crossing her arms. "You want my dating advice?"

"I feel like he's taken like twelve steps back. He's no longer the Spencer who can joke around and have fun and enjoy himself. He's reverted back into Spencer who crawls into his shell and ignores socializing and wouldn't know what fun is if you gave him a million dollars to describe it."

She laughed softly, clicking her Sharpie a few times. "So, your problem is all the progress you made is suddenly gone?"

"Yes, exactly. I text him and I either get one word or 'I'm too busy' or, even better, ignored."

"Well, the big project goes in on Monday. Maybe offer to take him out to dinner or something Monday night to give him something to look forward to _after_ the big project."

"...Baby Girl, you are an absolute genius."

She smirked. "Believe me, I know. Now, if I'm not wrong, your Boy Wonder should be here soon for his fix and could probably use the pick-me-up of a date."

He gave her a thumbs up, fixing his apron and setting his Sharpie on the counter.

* * *

Spencer walked in, taking his credit card out of his pocket and tossing it on the counter, giving Derek a look.

"Uh oh," Penelope said. "That's the stupid question face."

Derek raised an eyebrow, taking out a cup and writing out his order. "What's the stupid question face?"

"Something you've obviously been lucky enough to evade up to this point," she said, eyeing Spencer. "Scale of 1-10?"

"9 ½," he said shortly.

"...Dare I ask?"

He clicked his tongue, exhaling. "And I quote, 'so, when we do this presentation, do we need to like, talk?'. _How_ did this imbecile make it into a senior level class? How did she graduate _preschool_?"

"Ouch," Derek said, sliding the coffee over to him and sliding his card. "Are you at least making progress?"

"I'm going to be at the library late tonight, spend the entire weekend in working on the presentation with them online, because I think if I need to look at their faces anymore after tonight, I'll end up in the back of a cop car, then early Monday morning, I signed us up for the first presentation slot."

"Smart move," Derek said, handing it back to him. He saw Penelope pointing a finger at him out of the corner of his eye. "Do you have a minute?"

Spencer checked his watch, exhaling. "I can make one exist. Go."

Derek paused before clearing his throat. "I was just wondering if you wanted to do something Monday night, erase all memory of this project from hell and forget it ever existed. It'll give you something to look forward to and a reason not to commit a felony."

Spencer ran a hand over his face, putting a sleeve on his coffee cup. "Um, yeah, sure, that works. I have a meeting with my advisor after my classes. I can meet you here when I'm done."

"Sounds good."

Spencer shuffled on his feet, chewing on his cheek and looking up at Derek. "...Can I see you for a minute?"

"That depends on if you have one?"

Spencer gave him a nervous smile, nodding.

He motioned toward the back room and Spencer nodded again, following him back there.

"What's up?" Derek asked.

Spencer sighed. "I am sorry I have been so distant and unreasonable this week. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm an independent person, and when I get shoved into a group? I just go into overdrive and I'm not myself."

"I get it. Believe me, I get it. Been there, done that, suffered through it. It's fine."

He exhaled, nodding. "Can Monday be on me, to thank you for putting up with me through this?"

Derek gave him a smile. "If that's what you need to do to make yourself feel better? Go for it."

Spencer pressed his forehead against Derek's. "Thank you."

"Of course."

"Do you have another minute?"

Derek smirked. "Maybe."'

Spencer smiled before leaning in, kissing him. Derek rested a hand on the back of Spencer's neck, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair. Spencer smiled against his mouth, wrapping his arms around Derek's neck.

Penelope walked to the back room a couple of minutes later, squealing. "Oh, dear lord, you two are adorable!"

Spencer blushed, pulling back, biting his lip, while Derek put his hands down by his side, smiling slightly. "I'll be right out," he told her.

She tucked her phone back into her pocket. "I'll be waiting."

"...She has photographic evidence, doesn't she?"

Derek nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Spencer sighed, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "I should get going. The Three Stooges sure as hell aren't going to finish this project without me."

Derek kissed his cheek. "Good luck."

"I need it."

Spencer walked out of the back room, coffee in hand, still blushing. He waved to Penelope and walked out of the shop, taking out his car keys.

"That's what I call good customer service," Penelope said, wagging her eyebrows.

Derek ran a hand over his scalp. "...At least now he's calm?"

She laughed to herself. "Calm, bright red, and a little lovesick. Good combo."

He shrugged. "He has less of a desire to kill somebody right now. I definitely prefer embarrassed Spencer to murderous Spencer."

"I have to give you that one."

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out, checking it.

_See you on Monday. Thanks for talking me off the ledge._

_I think I sort of kissed you off the ledge. _He knew that would have Spencer blushing.

It vibrated again and he checked it. _And you wonder why I won't say 'I love you' yet. See you Monday :)_

Derek shook his head, both glad that sarcastic Spencer was back, and still frustrated that he was stupid enough to let that phrase slip. He tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"What has you turning color?" Penelope asked, nudging him.

He shook his head again. "_Nothing_."


	9. Lights Out

Over the course of the weekend, Derek received a series of text messages from Spencer, all with a message that basically translated to 'group projects were created by Satan and I hate every single person in this group'. Every time, he would message him back something that would calm him down or make him laugh. He also tried to figure out what he had planned for Monday night, but Spencer would always shoot him down, saying that he was handling it and he didn't need to worry about it.

Derek ended up having to pick up a shift for one of his co-workers on Sunday who needed to call out, so every once in a while, he was checking his phone to see if Spencer needed him to talk him off the ledge. What he hadn't expected was Spencer walking up to the counter.

"...Penelope said I could find you here," he said, adjusting the strap on his bag.

"You were looking?" Derek asked, reaching for a cup and writing down his order.

He nodded. "How late are you working tomorrow?"

He started his drink, thinking to himself and clicking his tongue. "I picked up this night shift for someone, so they're taking my afternoon tomorrow. I'm working until noon." He glanced up at Spencer. "What, you couldn't text me?"

"A coffee run gives me an excuse to not be glued to my laptop," he reasoned.

"I guess so." He put the lid on top of the drink, sliding it over to him and swiping his card.

Spencer looked at the total then the menu board, raising his eyebrow. "You undercharged me. You've _been_ undercharging me."

"Dating the barista gives you a discount," Derek said, winking. "I never use it, so someone might as well. Now, why are you wondering about my schedule tomorrow?"

"I have classes all morning and then a meeting with my advisor in the afternoon, so bringing homework into account? I should be at your place at about 5, if that works?"

Derek nodded. "Sounds great, I can get a nap in beforehand so I'm not an old guy falling asleep on you. So you're picking _me_ up, Romeo?"

Spencer smiled, sipping his drink and nodding. "Something like that. Are you up for it?"

"Depends on what you're planning."

He shrugged, slipping a sleeve onto his cup. "You'll see." He winked at him before smirking, waving and walking out of the shop.

* * *

After his shift the next morning, Derek went home and took a nap on his couch. He wasn't sure what Spencer had planned, but after working a night shift and a morning shift back-to-back, he needed some time to himself. He woke up to the notification sound on his phone going off. He reached over, grabbing his phone and checking the message.

_Just got out of my meeting. I'll be at your place in a half hour. Be ready_.

He checked the clock and got up, walking to his room and grabbing a change of clothes before taking a quick shower.

Spencer knocked on his door a half hour later. After making sure Clooney had enough food and water, he stuffed his wallet and keys into his pocket, walking to the door and opening.

"Well, you look much less stressed."

Spencer gave him a thousand-watt smile. "You'd be thrilled too if you were done with the assignment from hell with the group of ignoramuses."

"I'm sure." He stepped outside, closing the door. "Where to?"

Spencer motioned toward his car. "Get in, it's a surprise."

Derek raised an eyebrow, impressed. "A surprise, huh? The kind of surprise I'll like?"

"Get in the car and find out," Spencer suggested, taking out his keys and going to his car, getting in and starting it.

Derek smiled to himself, opening the passenger door and getting in, closing the door and buckling himself in. "So, I guess now I get to figure out what Spencer Reid's idea of a night out could be."

Spencer shrugged slightly, buckling his seatbelt. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Only one way to find out."

* * *

He ended up parking in front of a bookstore and Derek turned to him, curious. "We're going shopping?"

"Not exactly." Spencer got out of the car, stretching, before tucking his keys into his pocket.

Derek got out, walking over to him. "Then lead the way."

Spencer smirked, patting Derek's back and walking inside.

Once in the building, Derek realized it was a coffee shop with a bookstore attached to it. "So, let me get this straight. You have me out of work to take me to another coffee shop? I fail to see how this is romantic."

"Oh ye of little faith," Spencer said, taking his hand and walking toward a couch, motioning for him to sit. "Drink?"

Derek shrugged. "Decaf anything works for me," he said, sitting on the couch.

"I'll be right back." He tapped the table before walking up to the counter to get their drinks.

A few minutes later, Spencer took the seat beside him, setting down their drinks.

Derek reached over, grabbing his drink and taking a sip. "Not bad."

"Second best cup in town," Spencer said, smirking. "What are your feelings on poetry?"

"I don't mind it, so long as it's not repetitive."

"In that case, I'd like to commend myself for a perfect date."

Derek opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when the lights were dimmed and focused on the stage. "You're not getting up there, are you?"

Spencer quickly shook his head. "I may be a genius, but a poet I am not. I enjoy the environment more than anything." He paused, looking up at Derek. "…Is this okay?"

Derek wrapped an arm around his shoulders, kissing the back of his head as he leaned against him. "This is great."

When they had been there for a while, Derek leaned to whisper in Spencer's ear.

"I forgot to ask, how did your meeting go with your advisor? Is everything okay?"

Spencer nodded slightly, glancing at Derek. "Everything's fine, why?"

"I don't know, usually meetings with advisors mean scheduling or talking about scheduling, but you told me that this was your final semester?"

Spencer put his hand up, waving it in the air. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure? If you want to talk about it, we can."

Spencer shook his head. "Tonight isn't about school or work, it's about the two of us unwinding. Now shh, I like this poem."

"…From what I hear, it's about his socks."

"It's interesting," Spencer pointed out, resting his head against Derek's shoulder and ending the conversation.

Derek wanted to ask more but he shook his head, dismissing it and pulling Spencer closer to him. Whatever happened, he was sure Spencer would talk about it when the time was right.

* * *

After the coffee shop had closed for the evening, Spencer turned to Derek.

"Do you mind going for a walk before we call it a night?" he asked, twirling his keys around on his finger. "There's a park not too far from here and it isn't too cold outside."

"Sounds great." He walked around, putting an arm around Spencer's shoulder. "Lead the way."

Spencer smiled slightly, pointing toward the park.

As they were walking, Derek turned to him. "So, this is your idea of the perfect date?"

"…As a broke college student, yes, this is as perfect as it gets."

Derek nudged him. "Don't sell yourself short, it was kind of great. Sitting on a couch together for a couple of hours listening to some good poetry and then a walk through the park on a nice autumn night? It's pretty great."

"You don't have to lie."

Derek put up his hands. "I'm not lying. Though I do have a question."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"What _would_ be the ideal date night for you? Just curious."

Spencer exhaled, thinking to himself. "You'll think it's weird."

"I won't know until you tell me," Derek reasoned.

He chewed on his cheek. "Fine, but no laughing," he threatened, pointing a finger at Derek.

"Threat received, now come on."

Spencer smiled, squeezing Derek's hand as they walked. "I loved my Astronomy course, so I'd love nothing more than to go to the planetarium or a museum and be able to look at exhibits and people's opinions on the stars. Maybe even one of those movies in the big theater about space. Then afterward, a nice Italian meal at my favorite restaurant. The night would end with a walk in the park like this, and finally, a great goodnight kiss." He blushed. "It's ridiculous."

Derek shook his head. "It's not. It's actually kind of sweet."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

Spencer shrugged. "I told you my idea of a perfect date. What's yours?"

Derek clicked his tongue. "I'm a simple kind of guy. Dinner and a walk on the beach."

Spencer wrinkled his nose. "I've never been a fan of the beach. Between the sandy food, pink skin, limited topography that's unengaging, not to mention the bacteria-"

"I bet I could change your mind," Derek cut him off.

Spencer laughed softly. "Good luck."

* * *

When they made it back to Derek's apartment, Spencer stopped at his door.

"Did you enjoy tonight?" Spencer asked, playing with the end of his scarf.

Derek nodded, digging through his pockets for his house key. "I really did. Thank you."

"And you're not just saying that to appease me?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Definitely not. I'm not very good at hiding my boredom. Trust me, you would've known."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive." He leaned against his doorframe. "You going to be awake enough to drive yourself home?"

"One of my coffees wasn't a decaf, I'll be fine."

"Can you text me when you make it home then?" he asked, crossing his arms. "It'd make me feel better."

Spencer smiled, nodding. "I promise." He leaned in, giving Derek a quick kiss and trying to pull away.

Derek grabbed his scarf. "Not so fast."

"Excuse me?"

Derek pulled him in. "You'll make out with me in the backroom of my work, but on my front steps, you're shy and modest? What's that?"

"A character flaw you'll just have to get used to," Spencer said, winking at him and smiling, before moving in and kissing him, removing Derek's hand from his scarf. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good." Derek grabbed his key, putting it in the lock.

"And Derek?"

"Hm?"

Spencer moved in, giving Derek another kiss and smirking. "Good night."

"Night, Pretty Boy." Derek watched him blush and smiled to himself before walking inside, closing and locking the door behind him.

Derek forced himself to stay awake until he received a text from Spencer.

_I made it home, now go to bed, old timer._

Derek rolled his eyes, responding. _Will do, sir._

* * *

Over the course of the week, Derek decided to do some home renovations in his spare time, as Spencer was getting close to the time for his finals and he didn't want him to be anymore stressed out than he apparently already was. This seemed to be the best decision, because Spencer seemed to be in a much better mood, though he could probably attribute some of that to no longer having any group projects.

He was in the middle of installing flooring when his phone started ringing. He pulled off his gloves, reaching in his back pocket and taking out his phone, answering it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Derek, is this a bad time?" Spencer asked.

"No, why, what's up?" he asked, getting up and walking to the kitchen, taking a Gatorade out of the fridge and taking a sip.

He exhaled and took a few quick breaths. "It's nothing, really, it's just… you know the storm, right?"

"The one that's happening right now with heavy rain and wind beating against the house? Yeah, I'm familiar."

Spencer let out a small laugh. "It um, it actually ended up knocking out the power in my place, well really, the entire block. JJ's taking her family to her mom's house for the night, or until the power comes back on and she invited me to tag along, but I didn't want to feel like a fourth wheel… though the analogy of a fourth wheel _would_ make sense, because then you'd have a car which is actually functioning-"

"Spencer," Derek cut him off. "The reason you called?"

He cleared his throat. "Right, sorry." He took a deep breath. "I guess, well I was just wondering if I could come stay at your place for a while, until my power comes back? If not it's fine, I just, I don't do well in the dark and figured you wouldn't mind? But if you do, I understand, really, and you shouldn't feel bad. I can just go stay with JJ's mom."

Derek shook his head. "I'll meet you at the house in 20. Pack some clothes and anything else you think you'll need. I don't mind at all."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much. I'll see you soon."

Derek hung up the phone and turned to Clooney, asleep in his dog bed in the corner. "Come on, buddy. Time to get soaked in the rain and get home."

* * *

He was able to get Clooney home, dried off, and take a quick shower before Spencer was knocking on his door. He walked over, opening the door to find Spencer standing there with two bags over his shoulders, along with one in his hands with blankets and pillows.

"Have everything you need?" Derek asked, holding the door open.

Spencer nodded, setting the bags down and closing the door behind him.

Derek reached over, grabbing a towel and tossing it to him. "Something tells me you could use that."

"Thanks," he said, taking the towel and drying his hair off. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all. Tonight was just going to be me and Clooney hanging around and watching TV. At least now I have some company that will talk to me." He saw Spencer was shivering and walked over to the fireplace, opening the doors and putting some logs in, starting a fire. "Can I get you anything?" Derek asked. "Some coffee maybe?"

Spencer quickly shook his head. "Anymore coffee and I don't think I'll be sleeping. Could I actually take a shower, get out of these wet clothes?"

"Go ahead." He walked to the hall closet, taking out some towels and handing them to him. "It's right next to my bedroom."

Spencer dug through his bag, taking out some sweatpants and a t-shirt, along with some shampoo and soap. "Thanks again."

"Of course. Do you want to sleep in the guest room or-?" Derek asked as he looked in the hall closet for sheets.

"The couch should be fine." He waved to Derek quickly before walking to the bathroom, closing the door.

Derek eyed the couch, covered in Clooney's fur, before shaking his head, digging through the hall closet and pulling out the air mattress. He pulled it out of the bag and had it inflated in no time. After putting on the sheets, he grabbed Spencer's bag, taking out the assorted pillows and blankets, making the bed for him. Last but not least was a small, tattered teddy bear. Spencer had never mentioned it before, but he didn't want to go digging, so he put it on top of the pillow before sitting on the couch, patting it for Clooney to jump up beside him.

Spencer walked out of the bathroom, towel drying his hair. "I don't know how else I'm supposed to put this, but I just have to say you have an _amazing_ shower."

Derek smirked. "Well, I guess I should say 'I'm glad you like it'?"

Spencer smiled, blushing and walking back to the bathroom, setting the towel down. He picked up his wet clothes from the floor, going to the living room. "Where's your dryer?"

"I've got it, I need to throw a load in anyway." Derek got up, taking the clothes from him and walking toward the basement door. "Just make yourself at home," he called back before going downstairs.

Once the laundry was in the dryer, Derek went back upstairs and saw Spencer sitting on the air mattress, several textbooks on the table in front of him.

"Comfortable?" Derek asked, walking over and sitting on the couch.

Spencer nodded, giving him a small smile. "Thank you again. After Thanksgiving break next week, finals kick in and I want to be ahead of the game."

"But you retain everything you've ever read. Is studying really necessary?"

He shrugged. "_No_, but I prefer to do it just to keep it fresh on my mind."

"Whatever works for you," Derek said, reaching for the TV remote. This won't bother you, will it?"

"Not at all. Enjoy."

* * *

It was a couple of hours later when Derek's TV went out. He raised an eyebrow, reaching for the remote and pressing a few buttons.

"Well, I guess the cable's out."

Spencer took a deep breath, exhaling. "Five, four, three-"

"What are you doing?"

He put up his hand to silence him. "Two, one." He pointed to the ceiling and, as if it were rehearsed, the power in the house went out.

Derek sighed. "Damnit." He clicked his tongue before getting up. "Time to find my flashlights."

Spencer nodded, frozen in his spot.

"…Are you okay?"

He took a deep breath, shaking his head. "I um, I don't do well in the dark. I don't know what it is, though my guess is it's the inherent absence of light." He bit down on his lip, swallowing. "I've never done well in the dark. It's ridiculous, considering my age, but it's a legitimate fear."

Derek walked over, squatting beside him. "Stay by the fireplace for some light. I'm going to find my flashlights. Okay?"

Spencer nodded slightly, closing all of his textbooks and rolling off of the air mattress, sitting in front of the fireplace and wrapping his arms around his legs.

He came back a few minutes later, several flashlights in tow. He turned some of the flashlights on, placing them around the living room and lighting it up.

"Friend of yours?" Derek asked, pointing to the teddy bear in his hand.

Spencer smiled, nodding. "My mom bought it for me when I was three and recognized my fear of the dark. She told me that he was a close personal friend of Thor, God of Thunder, and he would have a word with him if it got too dark to illuminate the sky."

"Sounds like a pretty great Mom."

"The best," Spencer said, setting it back on his pillow. "Any idea how long the power's going to be out?"

Derek shook his head. "But I have the site for the power company up on my phone to let me know any alerts."

"Smart."

"Means a lot coming from you," Derek teased. "Can I get you a snack or a drink or something?"

"I'm fine. Thank you though. But I could use some company?"

Derek smiled, sitting on the couch. "You've got it." He opened a drawer on an end table, taking out a deck of cards. "Do you play?"

Spencer's face lit up. "Um, a bit."

"Interested?"

Spencer nodded, walking over and sitting beside him. "Definitely."

* * *

"I'm suddenly _very_ happy that we're not gambling," Derek said, shaking his head and picking up the cards, shuffling the deck. "You've got to be counting cards or something."

"I'd go with the 'or something'," Spencer said, smirking. "I think that's 20 hands to none?"

"Something like that," Derek mumbled, looking up at him. "Are you opposed to some old fashioned Go Fish so I can stop getting my ass kicked?"

Spencer shrugged. "If you insist."

After playing a few more games, Spencer started to look tired.

"Get some sleep," Derek said, scooping up the cards and putting them back into the box.

Spencer shook his head. "I'm fine. Deal me in."

Derek reached for his phone, typing and checking the screen a few times. "I don't have work tomorrow. You don't have school. It's a sign from the gods that the two of us should get some much needed sleep."

Spencer thought about it before sighing, nodding. "You're right."

"Would you mind calling up my mom, letting her know that a genius said I was right?"

Spencer clicked his tongue. "Not so much." He got off of the couch, walking over to the air mattress and lying down.

Derek got up. "See you in the morning." He whistled for Clooney to get off of the couch and follow him to the bedroom.

Spencer chewed on his cheek. "Um, Derek?"

Derek turned around to face him. "What's up?"

He cleared his throat. "Would you mind – it's going to sound ridiculous, but I told you about my fear of the dark and I was just wondering if you'd stay out here… with me?"

He paused before nodding. "Yeah, no problem." He walked over, sitting on the couch.

Spencer glanced up at him. "You could come over here."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He motioned toward the empty half of the air mattress. "There's plenty of room, it's close to the fireplace so it's nice and warm, and you said yourself that you enjoy curling up in front of the fire on cold nights."

He smiled, walking over. "Okay, I give in." He kicked off his slippers, setting them by the couch and sitting on the air mattress beside Spencer. "Is this okay?"

"You can lie down, if you'd like? I mean, you're a grown adult, you can do whatever you like. But it's merely a suggestion, I guess."

Derek nodded, lying down beside him. He leaned over, tossing another log onto the fire, before making himself comfortable. "This okay?"

Spencer nodded slightly before taking a deep breath, leaning in closer and resting his head on Derek's chest. "…Is this?"

"This is fine," Derek said, wrapping an arm around him and kissing the top of his head as he nuzzled against his chest. He reached up, playing with the strands of Spencer's hair. "Are you comfortable with this?"

"Mhm," he said, wrapping his arms around Derek's middle.

Derek toyed with his hair and, when there was a loud roar of thunder, would whisper to him and keep him distracted. Spencer was definitely scared of the dark, and he wasn't overly fond of thunder either. He did everything he could to keep Spencer's mind off of the darkness and the weather outside. They talked about Doctor Who episodes, their favorite superheroes, and even childhood stories, just to give them something to do.

Spencer took a deep breath, looking up at Derek. "I've never felt like this before," he admitted softly.

"Felt what, Pretty Boy?" Derek asked, rubbing his arm.

Spencer bit his lip, taking a deep breath. "…I love you, Derek. I've never, those words have only been said to my mother before and I haven't met someone I want to say them to. Not until you. And I just, I feel that-"

Derek smiled to himself, leaning in and giving Spencer a quick kiss before kissing his forehead. "I love you too."

* * *

Derek woke up the following morning to Spencer stirring and the lights in the house all back on. He smiled to himself, realizing that last night had actually happened. He tilted his head to kiss Spencer's forehead and run a hand through his hair.

"Breakfast?" Derek asked.

Spencer sighed, burying his head in Derek's chest. "Coffee, then I'll make breakfast."

"You sure? I don't mind."

He exhaled, lying on his back and stretching slightly. "You took me in last night. I'll make us breakfast."

"Good compromise," Derek said, getting up and whistling for Clooney, letting him run around in the backyard.

Once he finished making the coffee, he walked out to the living room, setting a cup on the table for Spencer and sitting on the couch, drinking his own. Spencer immediately sat up, grabbing the cup and sipping it.

"Better?" Derek asked, smirking.

Spencer nodded, finishing it off before getting off of the air mattress, trudging to the kitchen.

"Do you need help finding anything?"

Spencer waved a hand at him, refilling his mug and taking a sip. "I'll figure it out."

"What are you making?"

Spencer looked through the fridge then the cabinets, humming to himself. "French toast and scrambled eggs."

He raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Sounds good to me." He picked up his mug, walking out to the kitchen and sitting at the table, watching him.

* * *

While they were eating, Spencer looked across the table at Derek. "Thank you."

Derek looked at him, curious. "You made me breakfast and you're thanking me? I think you have this manners thing backwards."

Spencer gave him a smile, pushing what was left of his eggs around with his fork. "I mean for last night. Letting me come over when the power went out at home and staying with me, I really appreciated it."

Derek shrugged. "No sweat, I like helping people out when I can."

Spencer bit his lip, blushing. "I um, I also wanted to thank you for taking care of me. My fear of the dark is slightly adolescent, though really, it's one of the top phobias found in adults. Of those surveyed, 11% admitted they had achluophobia, or fear of the dark. It's only behind the fear of public speaking, fear of death, and of course, the fear of spiders."

Derek put up his hand. "I'm glad I could be there for you."

He cleared his throat, taking another sip of his coffee. "And about what I said…"

Derek paused, realizing that he was referring to his 'I love you', and hoping that he wasn't going to take it back.

"I can't remember ever feeling that cared for or wanted in my entire life, well, by someone that wasn't my mother. And it just, it was a really good feeling to have. You know I'm not a people person and the fact that I was so comfortable with you last night, I knew that I could really use those words and mean them."

Derek smirked at him. "Which words?"

Spencer gave him a look. "Seriously?" Derek shrugged and he sighed, shaking his head. "You can be a real pain, you're lucky I love you."

"There it is," Derek said, his smile widening.

Spencer reached across the table, pushing him lightly, before finishing the food on his plate.

* * *

After they ate, Spencer took out his phone, calling JJ and putting the phone on speaker as he ran a brush through his hair.

"Hey, Spence. Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," he said, wincing as his brush hit a snarl. "Have you been home yet?"

"Not yet, but Will went by and our power's still out, so we'll be at my mom's place until we get it back. What about you? Are you still home? Are you okay? It was way too dark for you to be alone last night-"

Spencer put up his hand, mimicking her with it and rolling his eyes, causing Derek to laugh. "JJ, I'm fine. After we lost power, I called up Derek and came to study at his place."

"And everything was fine?"

"Yeah, he lost power at his place a few hours after I came over, but luckily he had plenty of flashlights on hand and was able to blow up the air mattress before it happened."

"So you're okay?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine, _mother_. Really. I handled myself very well and Derek was here to calm me down."

"_Oh_?" she said suggestively.

Spencer groaned, rolling his eyes. "The most that happened was him lying down with me when I was stressing about sleeping in the dark."

"I should've known you would've kept it PG-rated. I'm going back in a bit to see if power's back. Once it is, want me to give you a call?"

"Yes please." He looked over at Derek. "You don't mind, do you?"

Derek shook his head. "No work, no school, sounds like a pajama day to me."

"... A what?"

JJ laughed. "Have fun with that, you two."

"Bye," Spencer said, hanging up and looking at him. "Pajama day?"

"Plain and simple," Derek started. "My favorite way to spend a lazy day is wearing my pajamas, wrapping myself in a blanket, and watching daytime game shows. Unless you have a better idea?"

Spencer thought to himself before shaking his head. "It sounds fine to me." He walked over, sitting beside Derek on the couch, dragging a blanket with him.

* * *

Their morning was spent on the couch, only getting up for bathroom breaks or to grab a drink. For the most part, Spencer leaned against Derek, the blanket pulled over him, and Derek smiled, wrapping his arm around him. Spencer tried to hold himself back and give Derek the chance to answer some of the questions, though it was really no contest: even when he'd slow down, he'd still have all of the answers and win the game.

When Spencer got a phone call from JJ that afternoon to let him know the power was back, he turned to Derek. "You don't mind if I head out after we finish eating, do you?"

Derek shook his head, refilling his juice. "Not at all. It's your home, I'm not offended."

"This was really great," Spencer assured him. "It was great and comfortable and it sort of just felt… right."

Derek smiled. "I'm glad."

He helped Spencer pack up his bags, double and triple checking the house to be sure he wasn't forgetting anything.

"So, if the shop's open, I'll see you tomorrow?" Spencer asked, folding up his blankets and putting them into his duffel bag.

"Definitely." Derek put in his little bear and pillow. "So finals Spencer kicks in in a couple of weeks?"

"Unfortunately, and I hate to say it, but if you didn't like group project Spencer, finals Spencer isn't going to be much fun."

"I'm sure I'll love him regardless."

Spencer scoffed. "We'll see."

Derek picked up his bags, walking out to his car. When Spencer opened the trunk, he put his things inside. "Then I guess I'll just soak up this semi-normal version until the other guy arrives."

Spencer mock laughed, elbowing him. "Very funny." He leaned over, giving him a kiss. "See you tomorrow."

Derek nodded. "Until then, Romeo."

"Not a good comparison to make," Spencer pointed out, looking through his keyring for his car key. "Romeo and Juliet were teenagers and young and idiotic in love. I do admit I love you, but there's no way I'm willing to drink poison or stab myself for you. I have standards."

Derek put a hand to his chest, faking pain before smirking. "Noted, that nickname's out the window. I love you too."

Spencer blushed, waving to him and getting into the car, starting it and driving home.


	10. Thankful

At work later that week, Penelope eyed Derek from her register. "What are you doing on Thursday?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Working?"

"...It's Thanksgiving. We're not even open."

He raised an eyebrow, picking up the calendar and looking. "Well, I'll be damned."

"So I take it since you didn't even know what week it was, you don't have plans?"

"That's correct," he said, looking over and grabbing a sleeve of cups.

She gaped at him. "You mean to tell me on one of the biggest family holidays of the year, you are doing absolutely nothing and spending it alone?"

"Well, not _nothing_ and I won't be _all_ alone," he said, shrugging. "I mean, I'll spend the day with Clooney, watch some bad marathons on TV, and cook something for dinner. I guess since Mom's not home this Thanksgiving, I just don't have a desire to celebrate it. Clooney and I are going to spend the day together and probably split a steak or something."

She shook her head, tossing her rag on the counter. "Absolutely not."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm going to get in touch with JJ, tell her we're going to set an extra place at the table, and you're coming to our big dinner. It's Will, JJ, Henry, me, Emily might stop by, and Spencer, because JJ drags him to it every year. You get me on your day off and your get your man. Tell me that doesn't sound perfect."

He sighed. "I'll think about it. Does that work?"

"Yes, so long as you make up your mind by this afternoon so when JJ and I do the shopping, we know how much we need to grab."

"Fine."

* * *

Later that day he sighed, looking at Penelope. "You won't stop staring at me until I answer the question, are you?"

She shook her head. "Not a chance. It's a family day and nobody should have to be alone on a family day. If you can't be with blood, you should at least want to be with people you love and people who care about you. Now come on, _please_ say yes?"

He groaned to himself, nodding. "Fine. What time should I be there, and what should I bring?"

She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Show up to JJ's whenever, and just bring your handsome self. You'll love it. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Besides, if you have a drink or two, you could always sleep over with your boo."

He leaned over, nudging her with his elbow. "Whatever I do is none of your nosy business. Unless of course you want to start sharing details about _Sam_."

She put up her hands. "I'm out of it. I said _nothing_ about your little sleepover."

He raised an eyebrow. "_I_ said nothing about my little sleepover, so how do you-" he paused, sighing. "JJ?"

"Bingo. She told me you took care of him when his power went out, and having seen him spooked by the dark, it couldn't have been too easy. So kudos."

"Thanks…?" he said, wiping down the counter and looking up as Spencer walked in. "I take it you got suckered into Thanksgiving at JJ's too?"

"Always do."

Penelope smirked, starting Spencer's drink. "You're welcome," she told them. "I gave you two quality couch cuddling time while JJ cooks like a madwoman."

"Sounds like fun."

Spencer shook his head. "JJ has two modes on Thanksgiving. She's the wonderful housewife who enjoys having everyone over and cooking a meal for them, then she snaps like a twig and she's, what's the word I'm looking for…"

Penelope slid the drink over to him. "That's code for 'I want to call her coo-coo banana balls, but I don't have it in me'," she informed Derek as she took his credit card, swiping it.

"I usually volunteer to keep Henry occupied to avoid her. I keep him out of the kitchen, and she doesn't call on me to work on something, then yell at me ten minutes later that I can't do it right." He eyed Derek. "I advise you to join me and save yourself."

He smirked. "I'll definitely consider it. Thanks for the warning. Is there a reason you're in early today?"

Spencer nodded, sipping his drink. "My professors decided to let us all out early to enjoy Thanksgiving break, or as they prefer to call it, the calm before the storm. Pretty soon, finals kick in."

Penelope nudged Derek. "You won't like him on finals. Trust me."

"I've been warned," he said, turning to Spencer. "Am I still going to see you come in here tomorrow, or are you going to be too good to stop by for a cup of coffee?"

Spencer mock laughed, turning to Penelope. "I'll be coming to _you_ tomorrow for my drink," he said, before winking at Derek and turning around, walking out of the store.

"You've turned my sweet and innocent little Spencer into a sassy, sarcastic little jerk." She backhanded his arm. "Turn him back!"

He shook his head."That's what was underneath the hard exterior. Nothing I can do about it."

* * *

On Thanksgiving, Derek sent a text to Spencer. _What are the odds that JJ would allow the furry one to come with me? I feel bad leaving him alone on a holiday._

It took a few minutes, but Spencer messaged him back. _I just ran it by her, and she says as long as he stays out of her way and off countertops, he's invited. When are you heading over?_

_In a little bit, why?_

_I could use a little help at the house. One of my cabinets legitimately came off of the hinges and I can't get it back if my life depended on it._

Derek laughed to himself. _I'll pack up my toolbox and the dog, see you in a little bit._

_Fine. Stop laughing._

He shook his head, taking Clooney's leash off of the hook by the door and hooking it to his collar, before picking up his toolbox and walking outside.

He knocked on Spencer's door and it was quickly answered.

"...That's what you're wearing to Thanksgiving?" Spencer asked, looking him up and down.

Derek raised an eyebrow, looking down at himself. "...It's a sweater and jeans. What's wrong with it?"

"Penelope obviously didn't warn you that JJ likes holidays to be _perfect_," he said, stepping aside.

Derek shrugged, unclipping Clooney's leash. "If she has that much of a problem, I'll go home and change. Now, what'd you do to your cabinet?"

Spencer scoffed. "_Nothing_." He closed the door, leading Derek to the kitchen.

"So it just fell off of the hinges all on its own? Impressive," he said, picking up the door and inspecting it. "Now, want to tell me why you slammed it open?"

He sighed, leaning against the counter. "JJ decided to play a fun game when she helped me bring my groceries in yesterday called 'hide the coffee'."

Derek nodded. "Say no more. Go, relax, keep Clooney company, this'll be fixed in no time."

"I'll be counting," Spencer said, walking to the living room and sitting on the couch, patting the spot beside him and allowing Clooney to jump up beside him. Derek watched as Spencer ran his fingers through the dog's fur and hummed, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels for something to watch.

"You said you watch bad TV marathons on Thanksgiving?" Spencer called out.

"Usually, why?" Derek asked, setting the door back on and closing it successfully, smirking to himself.

"There's a game show marathon on right now, and we don't have to show up at JJ's for another hour."

Derek smiled, closing up his tool box. "I think I like what you're suggesting. Want a drink?"

Spencer got up, much to Clooney's dismay, and walked to the kitchen. "I'll make us some hot chocolate, you go relax."

"Are you sure?"

Spencer nodded. "Positive." He reached over, opening the cabinet and smiling, kissing Derek's cheek. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Pretty Boy." He walked out to the living room, sitting beside Clooney.

Spencer walked out a few minutes later, setting a couple cups of cocoa on the living room table. "I hope you don't mind, I strayed from the usual packet."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "And that means?"

"If you think I'm a coffee snob? I'm so much worse with hot chocolate. Cocoa, sugar, milk, mint, and chocolate shavings," he recited, picking his own up and taking a sip. "But it's delicious."

"So you won't take chocolate shavings on your morning tooth rot, and act deeply offended by them, but you can just put it on top of my cocoa no problem?"

Spencer smiled, nodding. "Sounds about right."

Derek shook his head, picking it up and sniffing it.

Spencer scoffed. "It's not poisoned."

"Just checking," he teased, sipping it and raising his eyebrows, impressed. "Want to trade lives? You can make cocoa for tons of people and I'll do a bunch of school work?"

Spencer made a face, putting his finger to his chin, before shaking his head. "Not a snowball's chance in hell."

Derek clicked his tongue, shrugging and wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulders. "Worth a shot."

Spencer wrinkled his nose, elbowing him, before leaning in, putting his feet up on the couch. "...He's not a foot licker is he?"

"Definitely."

"Fantastic," he mumbled, setting his cup down and wrapping his arms around Derek's middle.

* * *

A while later, Derek's phone buzzed beside him. He reached over, sighing.

"That's probably Mom, checking in to be sure I'm not all alone today," he mumbled, picking up his phone and raising his eyebrows. "Or it's Penelope." He opened the message and saw a picture of the two of them cuddling, taken from the front window. "You really need to close your curtains."

"...Why?"

He showed the message to him, along with the caption '_Cutest Cuddly Couple EVER!_' "That's why."

Spencer blushed, shrugging. "At least she's not only calling me cute anymore?" he offered. "Do you think that's her way of telling me she's going inside and needs backup?"

Derek shrugged. "I'd guess so." He unwrapped his arm from Spencer's shoulder and kissed the top of his head, getting up and whistling. "I'm going to take him for a walk really quick, then we'll head over."

"Sounds like a plan."

Derek whistled and when Clooney came running to him, clipped his leash onto his collar. He opened the front door, taking Clooney outside.

When he came back, Spencer was waiting for him at the door.

"Remember, we're going to spend the afternoon with Henry to keep him distracted and out of JJ's hair. That way we get out of kitchen duty and JJ doesn't snap."

Derek nodded. "Sounds good. Anything else?"

Spencer thought to himself before shaking his head. "Nothing I can think of. Just remember when you see crazy holiday JJ, you love me."

Derek smiled, nodding. "Done." He patted his back. "Now, let's get this done."

Spencer sighed, taking his hand and walking next door.

"Cutest couple has arrived!" Penelope called out, pulling them into hugs. "As has my favorite little furry one!" she bent down, handing him a bone.

"Spence, you know the drill," JJ called out.

He saluted her, taking off his jacket and hanging it up, before taking off his shoes, setting them by the door, eyeing Derek to do the same.

He nodded, taking off his jacket and shoes, looking at Spencer.

He put up a finger, pointing to the living room. "Keep Henry distracted."

"Ah." He followed Spencer, sitting down on the couch.

Upon seeing Spencer, Henry ran over, climbing on the couch and wrapping his arms around Spencer's middle.

Spencer smiled, running his hand through Henry's hair. "Are you growing your hair out like me?"

He nodded. "Uh huh! And look!" He sat down, pulling up his pant leg and pointing to his mismatched socks. "Just like you!"

"Thanks for that, Spence," JJ said sarcastically, setting a juice box on the table and ruffling Henry's hair and kissing the top of his head. "Be good for Uncle Spence and Derek, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy."

"Good boy." She patted his back and walked back out to the kitchen.

Derek smiled. "So, little Spencer, do you want to watch a movie or play a game?"

He thought it over before getting up, looking through the movies and holding one up. "This please."

"With manners like that? No problem," Derek said, taking the movie from him. "Go get comfortable, buddy."

Henry nodded, running over to the couch and sitting beside Spencer.

Derek smiled to himself, putting the movie in and turning on the TV, grabbing the remote and sitting on Spencer's other side. "Ready, Spencer 1 and Spencer 2?"

Henry nodded and Spencer leaned over, flicking him. Derek faked pain, pressing play and leaning back on the couch, watching the movie.

* * *

About a quarter of the way into the movie, Henry pulled on Spencer's sleeve. Spencer reached over, grabbing Henry's juicebox and handing it to him, before leaning against Derek. Derek smirked, wrapping his arm around Spencer and kissing his forehead.

"Uncle Spen?" Henry asked, looking up at him.

"What is it, Henry?" he responded, looking at the boy.

Henry smiled, lowering his voice. "Are you and Derek in _love_?"

"Penelope!" Spencer snapped. "What did you bribe him with to ask that?"

"Confidential information," she chimed. "Now, answer the poor little boy's question."

Spencer blushed, biting his lip and looking at Derek before nodding. "We are."

"Can you _kiss_?"

He groaned. "Penelope!" he snapped again.

"It's what he wants!"

Derek shook his head, tilting Spencer's chin up and leaning over, giving him a quick kiss and looking over at Henry. "How much did Aunt Penny pay you?"

"A dollar."

Derek reached in his pocket, holding out two dollars to him. "I'll give you that to not make your Uncle Spen answer another question from her."

He considered it before nodding, taking the money and putting it into his pocket. "Okay!"

Derek smiled, pointing to the TV. "Back to the movie."

When Henry was tuned back into the movie, he smirked at Penelope.

"Spoilsport," she muttered, flicking his head as she walked by.

He looked down at Spencer. "You're welcome."

* * *

Over the course of the movie, they heard JJ mutter swears, snap at Penelope, and even snap at Will to get a bottle of wine, even though they were right beside her.

Derek eyed Spencer. "You were right, this is the safe option."

"Told you so," he whispered, kissing his cheek and resting his head on his shoulder.

Derek looked at the table, seeing extra places set. "Baby Girl, who else is coming?"

She counted the plates as she walked past them. "You, Spencer, JJ, Henry, Will, yours truly, Emily, Hotch, Jack-"

He sat up. "You invited Hotch? _Why_?"

She shrugged. "He's our bossman and I thought it'd be nice for him to not be alone at his place with his son on a holiday."

"In that case, I'm glad you've already told all of the embarrassing work stories," he said, wrapping his arm around Spencer.

"How is it I've been going there for months and never met your boss?" Spencer asked, curious.

"You've been lucky," Derek mumbled.

"...What was that, Morgan?" a voice said from behind him.

Derek winced, turning around and looking at Hotch, then Penelope. "You could've warned me."

"And miss the awkward? No thank you!" she said, smirking.

Derek sighed, running a hand over his head. "Aaron Hotchner," he pointed to Spencer, "Spencer Reid. Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner."

Spencer turned around, waving his hand. "You go far too easy on him. I'd suggest more hours and disciplinary action."

Hotch laughed, waving back. "Consider it noted."

Penelope smirked. "I knew I liked you, Spencer." She sat next to Henry. "Hey, little man. You remember Jack from your birthday party, right?" she asked, pointing to him.

Henry looked up at her, nodding.

"I bet he would _love_ to play with all of your Legos especially that new set that I got you. Now, doesn't that sound like more fun than sitting next to Uncle Spencer, who's going to cuddle and kiss his boyfriend the whole time?"

"I object to that," Spencer said.

Henry thought it over before nodding, getting up and taking Jack's hand, walking to his bedroom.

Hotch took a seat on the loveseat, looking over at Derek and Spencer. "So, you're the one who is driving my barista absolutely love crazy?"

"I resent that," Derek said, holding up a finger. "I still get my work done with a smile on my face."

"And when you don't do that, you're doting over our customer," he said, motioning toward Spencer.

Spencer smiled, eyeing Derek. "Doting?"

Derek quickly shook his head. "Not exactly."

Spencer eyed Hotch, who nodded, and laughed softly, patting Derek's knee. "Whatever you say."

"How are the renovations going?" Hotch asked, and Derek was grateful for the subject change.

"Not bad," he said. "I just need to finish some painting and wallpapering in the house I've been working on and I can put it on the market."

Spencer turned to him. "Do you need help?"

"Does that mean you _want_ to help?"

Spencer nodded. "I have a long weekend because of the holiday and I wouldn't mind. So long as you're not busy, I could come by."

Derek eyed Hotch. "Morning shift on Friday and Saturday?" When Hotch nodded, Derek looked at Spencer. "Meet me at the coffee shop when my shift's over in your laziest clothes, I'll drop you off after."

Spencer smiled to himself. "Sounds great."

Derek looked at Hotch again. "Why, are you looking into buying a place? I could give you a deal."

Hotch shook his head. "Jack likes where we live and enjoys the park across the street. Just trying to give you conversation that isn't how absolutely crazy you are for the guy on the couch beside you."

Derek sighed, shaking his head and looking at Spencer. "Just remember when talking to my boss and Penelope, you love me."

Spencer laughed, nodding and kissing his cheek. "I promise."

* * *

Before they were sitting down for dinner, Emily walked in, hanging up her jacket.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I'm late. The traffic was absolutely ridiculous." She kicked off her shoes, moving them over by the door and turning around. "Aw, the lovebirds made it!"

Spencer sighed, resting his head on Derek's shoulder. "Oh good, Emily made it," he mumbled.

Derek smiled, kissing the top of his head. "This should be fun." He helped Spencer up, walking over to the table and taking his seat, Spencer taking the one beside him.

Emily walked over. "Where am I this year? _Please_ tell me I'm not in the kids region."

Penelope shook her head. "You're next to Hotch."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "What's a Hotch?"

Penelope smiled, pointing and whispering in her ear. "That incredibly single, attractive man over there is a Hotch."

"Well, Happy Thanksgiving to me," Emily said, walking up and shaking his hand, introducing herself. "Emily Prentiss."

He smiled, shaking her hand. "Aaron Hotchner."

"And just like that," Penelope said, snapping her fingers, "I've made two love connections from the coffee shop. _Damn_ I'm good."

Derek looked at them, shaking his head. "No, definitely not. You're good, Baby Girl, but I don't think you're that good."

She shrugged. "We'll see."

Once everyone was seated and all of the food was set on the table, JJ took her seat beside Will, kissing his cheek.

"Everythin' looks great," Will told her.

She smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Why don't we start by going around and saying what we're thankful for?" she asked, looking around the table. "I'll start. I'm incredibly thankful that I have such amazing friends and family to spend the holiday with, and I'm also thankful that you all put up with me while I'm cooking."

Penelope smirked. "I'm thankful for the fact that we're all together on this fine holiday… and for the fact that I've seen Derek Morgan shirtless."

Derek put his head in his hands, shaking it. "Pretty sure that's not how this works."

She shrugged. "I was asked what I'm thankful for, I said it, the end."

Will smiled. "I'm thankful for a beautiful wife and son and the people they've brought into my life." He turned to Henry. "What 'bout you, Henry? What do you like?"

Henry hummed before speaking up. "Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Spen and his friend and Aunt Emmy and Aunt Penny and friends… and cookies! Aunt Penny's cookies!"

Penelope laughed. "I can't argue with that."

Hotch looked around at the table, eyeing Emily before speaking up. "I'm thankful for employees that actually listen, though they can be like having additional children, I'm thankful for having a great son, and especially thankful that I have company for the holiday." He nudged Jack. "Your turn."

"Um, I like Daddy, my friend Henry, books, and superheroes. Oh! And mac and cheese. I _love_ macaroni and cheese!"

Hotch smiled, ruffling his hair. "Good job."

Emily took a sip of her wine before speaking up. "I'm thankful I'm not with my blood family today, dealing with their incessant bickering. I'm thankful for my college family, the new additions that have come along over time, and the fact that JJ stocked up on my favorite wine."

JJ grinned. "You're welcome." She eyed Derek.

"Right." He cleared his throat, thinking it over. "I'm thankful that I've been taken in this holiday since my mom and sisters couldn't be around, for a good paying job that lets me do what I love on the side, good friends from said job," he reached over, squeezing Spencer's hand, "and pretty much the best guy I've dated."

Spencer turned a bright red, smirking and squeezing his hand back as Penelope and Emily teasingly 'aww'd at them. He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm thankful for having a good semester, the fact JJ unofficially adopted me and welcomed me into her family also making me the godfather of her child, and for the fact that I chose to walk into a certain coffee shop, and not one of the ten others in town, because it was definitely the best decision I've made."

Derek leaned over, capturing Spencer's lips with his, which turned him even brighter.

Spencer pulled back, biting his lip and taking his hand back.

JJ smiled, handing the carving materials to Will. "Let's eat."

* * *

"Are table scraps okay for the dog?" JJ asked, running her fingers through Clooney's fur.

Derek nodded. "I refer to Clooney as my Hoover, he'll suck up anything I drop before I even have the chance to pick it up."

She eyed Clooney before putting some scraps of turkey on her plate, setting it down in front of him. "Where did the name Clooney come from?"

"My little sister. I brought him home when he was just a puppy, and I was looking into names. That point in life she was _obsessed_ with George Clooney, so she started calling him Clooney before I could even try anything. Can't say I blame her though. He _is_ a Clooney."

JJ got up from her seat. "Anyone want anything else?"

There was a collective groan and everyone shook their heads.

"Jayje, I love you, but anymore fixins and I'll burst," Garcia said, sitting up and grunting. "I've got the dishes."

Derek put his hand up. "You two cooked, the least I could do is help with cleanup."

JJ smirked, nudging Spencer. "I like him. Keep him please."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say." He eyed Derek. "Help?"

"Sure." He pulled out Spencer's chair. "Do you know where everything is so we don't need to bug them?"

"One look through the cabinets and I will," Spencer informed him, getting up and walking to the kitchen.

"Refill before you go relax?" Derek asked, looking at Emily's wine glass.

"Spencer Reid, if you don't marry him, I will," Emily warned as he filled up her glass, winking at her.

"Stop making me look bad!" Spencer snapped, closing the cabinet doors and cleaning out the dishwasher.

"I guess I've embarrassed him," Derek said, shrugging and walking out, helping him.

After they packed up all of the leftovers, Spencer had decided the two of them should hand wash all of the dishes instead of overloading the dishwasher. Spencer put himself in charge of washing while Derek was drying them, setting them in the strainer.

"So, they all officially love you," Spencer said, handing him a plate.

Derek smirked, picking up his cloth and drying it off. "What can I say? I'm a people pleaser."

"You had a glass of wine with dinner, are you going to be okay to drive home?" Spencer asked softly, handing him another plate.

He nodded. "I'll be fine."

Spencer clicked his tongue. "Or, you know, you could have another glass with dessert, and maybe stay over."

"I love you, Pretty Boy, but your couch is far from comfortable," he explained, putting the dishes in the strainer as Spencer handed him a glass.

"I understand that." Spencer chewed on his lip. "Maybe, you know, you could possibly sleep in my room. You know, in my bed."

Derek lost his grip on the glass in his hand, snapping out of his daze when the glass shattered against the floor.

JJ turned around on the couch. "Is everything okay out there?"

Derek cleared his throat. "Yeah, sorry, it was still slippery," he called out. "Broom?"

"Closet next to the fridge."

He walked over, opening the door and grabbing the broom, sweeping the bits of glass up and throwing them away.

"I'm suddenly glad we weren't cleaning the knives," Spencer said, laughing nervously.

"That makes two of us," he told him, picking up the last few pieces with his fingers and tossing them into the trash.

"So I'll take that as a 'no'?" Spencer asked, eyebrow raised.

Derek shook his head, putting the broom back and leaning on the counter beside him. "Just took me by surprise. Nearly three months ago, I could barely get you to say a word to me, and now you're ready to sleep in the same bed? Impressive. I must be that good."

Spencer blushed, washing a plate and handing it to him. "I guess you just have that effect on me." He chewed on his cheek, sighing. "I don't know. That night with the blackout, I just felt really comfortable. And I guess I want to see if that was just because of the situation, or if it's because of my connection to you."

Derek smiled. "So, I'm a social experiment. I've been called worse." He took another plate from Spencer. "I guess it's a good thing I packed a bag, in case I had to stay."

Spencer grinned. "Oh, yes, a very good thing."

"A bit of a warning though. I'll have to get up _really_ early to walk Clooney, get him home, then head to work for Black Friday madness."

"That's fine, I can go back to sleep."

"Good, and Spencer?"

Spencer glanced up at him. "Yes?"

"I don't need to have a few drinks. Just say the word and I'll be there."

Spencer smiled, nodding. "Noted."

* * *

While everyone was sitting down for dessert, Penelope looked over at the two of them.

"Why are we so smiley? Please tell me you're going to get married."

Spencer shook his head. "Definitely not yet." He looked at Derek. "No offense."

Derek put up his hands. "None taken. And Baby Girl, if you want an answer, tell me why _Sam_ isn't here today."

She zipped her lips. "Nope. Not happening."

He smirked, taking a bite of his food. "Thought so." Derek turned to JJ. "Thanks again for having me today."

She put her hand in the air. "It's no big deal. I'm glad I could see Spence happy while _not_ sitting with the kids this year." She eyed Spencer. "Don't think I didn't see you two smooching while putting away the dishes."

He blushed, biting his lip and smiling. "I'm not sorry."

"Uh huh, I'm sure you're not."

Derek cleared his throat. "Anyway, no pressure to anyone, but as a thank you for taking me in as family today, I want to put out an invitation to Christmas dinner at my place. My mom and sisters are going to be in town and we always cook for a small army, so it wouldn't be any added stress."

Penelope nudged Spencer with her elbow. "So, a few months and you're already playing a game of Meet the Parents? Lucky you!"

He shrugged, swallowing the pie in his mouth and looking at Derek. "I think it sounds like fun. Count me in."

Penelope gasped. "Please let me be there and listen in on the conversation when you tell your mother your boyfriend's going to be there. I would _love_ to hear her reaction."

"_Maybe_." He looked around the table. "Like I said, no pressure."

Emily eyed JJ and Will. "I'm in if you are."

They nodded. "Count us in," JJ said. "Thanks, Derek."

"No problem." He pointed to his plate. "Any chance you can bring this chocolate cream pie? I can offer my mom's famous peach cobbler in exchange."

JJ laughed. "Sounds great."

Derek eyed Hotch. "What about you? You guys in?"

Hotch looked at Jack. "What do you say, buddy? Do you want to come see Henry on Christmas after we do presents?"

Jack nodded. "You can see the pretty lady too."

Derek bit his lip to hold back a laugh. "Does someone have a love connection from Penelope?"

Hotch cleared his throat. "We'll be there."

* * *

At the end of the night, JJ had pawned off leftovers on everyone who attended. After their goodbyes, Spencer walked over to his place, unlocking it, while Derek took Clooney for a walk. He went back to Spencer's place and walked inside, closing the door behind him, unclipping Clooney's leash.

"Are you going to shower tonight or in the morning at your place?" Spencer asked.

"Probably in the morning to wake me up. Is my alarm in the morning going to bug you?"

"So long as you turn it off in time to not fully wake me up," he warned. "Is the dog going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Clooney seriously just needs a corner and he'll be in heaven." He looked at Spencer. "You're sure about this? I can still go home."

Spencer nodded. "I'm positive. I'm just going to change really quick. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."

"Makes two of us." He picked up his bag, walking to the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Derek walked into the bedroom to find Spencer sitting up, flipping through a book. He smiled, walking over and sitting beside him, kissing his cheek.

"Good read?" he asked, motioning toward the book.

Spencer shrugged. "It's _something_. With my memory, it's hard to find a book that's unlike something else I've read in the past." He put in a bookmark, closing it and setting it on his nightstand, taking off his glasses and setting them on top. "I left the door open just in case Clooney needs you during the night."

"Smart."

"Well, I am provably a genius," Spencer pointed out, turning off the light on the nightstand and lying down.

"That you are." He turned off the lights on his nightstand. "You okay?"

Spencer swallowed, moving closer and resting his head on Derek's chest. "I am now."

Derek smiled, wrapping an arm around him and kissing his forehead. "Are you still up for helping me with painting tomorrow?"

"Definitely. I want to see what you've been doing with the place in my absence." Spencer yawned. "Now, shh. Your alarm's going off at too early o'clock and I want to get some sleep."

Derek smirked, nodding. "Sounds great." He fixed the blankets over them, rubbing Spencer's back until he felt him fall asleep against him. He smiled to himself, pulling him closer and lying down, slipping his eyes shut.

* * *

The following morning, Derek's alarm went off far too early for his liking. He sighed, reaching over to turn it off. Looking over at Spencer, he found him snuggled into his side, his arms wrapped around Derek's waist. Derek smiled at the sight, committing it to memory, before kissing his forehead, running his fingers through Spencer's hair.

"I need to get up and go to work, Pretty Boy," he whispered. "You need to let go."

Spencer whimpered, sighing. "Next sleepover is when you have the next day off," he mumbled, letting go of Derek's waist.

"Sounds great to me." He picked up his bag, putting it over his shoulder and walking over, leaning down so he was face-to-face with Spencer. "Want me to pick you up, or are we meeting at the coffee house?"

Spencer yawned. "Pick me up."

"That I can do."

Spencer wrapped an arm around Derek's neck, pulling him in for a kiss. He pulled back, sighing. "Now go before I wake up."

Derek smirked, kissing the top of his head and fixing the blankets over him, walking out and closing the door behind him.

* * *

Before leaving work that day, he made Spencer's drink, setting it on the counter.

"Somebody's going to see his little lovebird," Penelope sing-songed.

"That I am," he said. He went to the back room, changing into his old tattered jeans and a t-shirt. He walked back out, picking up the drink. "Can you behave yourself?"

"If you tell me where you're off to looking that delicious?"

He looked down at himself, raising an eyebrow. "I'm painting and wallpapering a house. If this is your definition of delicious, I'm gonna need you to get Sam to take you out for a night. Pronto."

She mock laughed. "Have fun with your lover boy. I expect details."

"Then you're going to do a whole lot of waiting," he told her, taking his car keys out of his pocket and walking out. He sent Spencer a text, telling him to be waiting outside in his most comfortable clothes, and wondered on the whole drive over what that could possibly be.

He pulled up to Spencer's to find him outside, his bag over his shoulder, wearing a pair of jeans and an old college t-shirt. Derek was surprised that he owned baggy jeans, and could only wonder why he had them. Unlocking the doors, he waited for Spencer to get in.

Spencer opened the door, setting his bag on the floor and buckling himself in, closing the door behind him. "Hi."

"Hi yourself. Since when do you own jeans?"

"Since I told JJ I'd be painting today and she picked them up at a thrift store for me." He looked down at them. "Should I change?"

Derek shook his head. "You look fine. Have you ever painted a room before?"

"No, but… I can't imagine it's too hard. I think I could pick up on it."

"We'll see about that."

Spencer mimicked him as he started driving. "So, how was working the morning of Black Friday?"

Derek raised his eyebrows, exhaling. "Too many pissed off people way too early in the morning. Seriously, I had one woman bitch to me for about five minutes, holding up my entire line, because she didn't get a toaster for a couple of bucks. She does realize that toasters aren't big money items, right?"

Spencer laughed to himself. "Over a toaster?"

"She wasn't even the worst. I literally had a woman complain to me because she didn't get an _amazing_ deal on wrapping paper. She got a _good_ deal, but not an _amazing_ one."

"Well, you know, wrapping paper _can_ make or break someone's Christmas," Spencer said. "If you don't have the best wrapping paper, all of it is just completely ruined."

Derek chuckled, nudging him with his hand. "Apparently."

* * *

They pulled up to the house and, upon walking inside, Spencer realized that the floor in every room was lined with plastic wrap.

"You're not planning on murdering me, are you?" Spencer asked, motioning toward the floor.

Derek shook his head. "Definitely not. You're too cute to kill," he teased, taking off his jacket. Spencer rolled his eyes and he smirked. "As you can see, everything's lined so no paint gets on the floor, and I used painters tape to block off doorways, windows, and cabinets so those stay in tact." He thought to himself, clicking his tongue. "I think I'll take care of the wallpapering in the kitchen while you start painting the master bedroom. It's one big square, I can't imagine you'll mess it up too bad."

Spencer mock laughed. "Just show me what to do and I'll be fine."

Derek led him to the bedroom, opening up the cans of paint. "A nice teal color to go with the white accents on the window sills and door frames," he explained, pouring it into the tray. He then grabbed a roller, holding it up. "Paint roller." He demonstrated how to get the paint on it and showed him how to put it on the wall. "Just go for a base coat, and if it's not enough, give it a second once it dries. If you have any questions, just call for me."

Spencer nodded. "I've got it."

"I'll come check on you once I finish the kitchen. Try to get even strokes. Can you manage that?"

"I can try to anyway," he said honestly. "Now go, I've got it."

Derek nodded, kissing his forehead and walking to the kitchen, cutting the wallpaper to the measurements he needed.

He kept an ear out for Spencer, just in case he needed any help, but didn't hear a word from him until-

"God damnit!" Spencer shouted, throwing down the roller.

Derek shook his head, setting down the wallpaper and getting up, stretching and walking to the bedroom. "What's wrong?"

Spencer motioned toward his arm. "I somehow managed to paint myself!"

Derek smirked, biting his lip. "You can take a shower after you're done painting, it'll come right off."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Trust me, I've done this before, and it will." He looked at the walls. "And on the plus side, you're doing a pretty good job for a first timer."

Spencer smiled. "It's good to know my intelligence comes in handy for _painting_."

"Okay, smart mouth. I'm almost done with the kitchen. Do you want me to come help finish the room when I'm done, or am I not _smart_ enough to do that?"

He shrugged slightly. "You could always come here when you're done and find out."

"I guess so." He patted his back, walking to the kitchen and finishing the wallpaper.

The two of them easily finished the master bedroom, and Derek did the bathroom, which left the living room and the second bedroom to finish.

"Your choice," Derek started, "get the big one done first, and then the bedroom will be a breeze, or get the easy one done first and drag this out after."

Spencer put a finger to his chin, thinking. "Hm, get the worst one out of the way or save it for later? Gee, I wonder."

Derek nudged him with his elbow. "I don't think I like this sarcastic Spencer. Can I send him back?"

He shook his head. "Not a chance. What color's the living room?"

"Simple light gray," Derek explained, opening the top of a couple of cans and pouring them into trays.

"And the last bedroom?"

"Light green," Derek said, opening up some new rollers and setting them up, handing one to Spencer. "Ready?"

"Very."

* * *

While they were painting, Derek looked over at Spencer. "Do you want to get some dinner after this?"

Spencer shrugged. "Sure. Is it because you feel guilty for trapping me all afternoon with paint fumes?"

"I guess you could say that," Derek said, getting more paint onto his roller.

"What were you thinking? Chinese, Italian, something else?"

"I don't know, what are you in the mood for?"

"I think I could really go for some Thai food. I know this place that makes amazing chicken tandoori and it would hit the spot right about now."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "What, my cuddling didn't hit the spot last night?" he asked, pouting.

Spencer smirked. "Well, that couldn't hit the spot in my stomach that's been growling for the past half hour."

"I'll accept that," Derek said, shrugging it off. "I could go for some pad thai."

"I didn't know you were into Thai food."

Derek looked at him, smiling. "There's a lot of things you still don't know about me."

"We should change that sometime," Spencer told him.

"I guess we'll see about that."

"You know, I don't think I like the smart mouth on you either," Spencer said, setting his paint roller down as he finished.

"That's really unfortunate," Derek said, "I was raised this way."

"Uh huh, I'm sure. So if I ask your mother during Christmas dinner, she'll say she has no problem with you sassing people?"

Derek cleared his throat, motioning toward the bedroom. "One more to go."

Spencer smirked. "That's what I thought."

* * *

After they finished painting, Derek ordered their food to pick it up on the way back to Spencer's place. He stopped and went in to grab it while Spencer stayed in the car, insisting that he wasn't getting out looking like he did.

Derek set the bags in the backseat, getting in and buckling himself. "They accidentally gave us extra pad thai, I'm sure you could make use of it."

Spencer smiled. "I'm sure I could."

They drove back to Spencer's, and while Derek unpacked the food, Spencer took a quick shower to get the paint off of his skin.

"Did it work?" Derek asked, looking up at him. "Or are you going to be teal for all eternity?"

Spencer mock laughed, holding up his arms. "I'm clean," he informed him, taking the seat across from him.

Derek set a couple of plates down. "Drink?"

Spencer thought it over. "I have a bottle of red wine in the back of the fridge. I could use it before Finals Spencer arrives."

"Point taken." Derek took a glass out of the cabinet, tucking the bottle under his arm and grabbing a water bottle for himself.

* * *

When they were eating, Derek looked up at him. "So, Finals Spencer... what's he like?"

Spencer exhaled, pushing his food around his plate before taking a bite, chewing. "Not pleasant," he put plainly.

"Care to elaborate?" Derek asked, taking a sip of his water.

"Not really, but since you care to know? Finals Spencer is sleep deprived, and as a result, very grumpy. There's zero patience for _anything_, eating happens whenever I remember, and coffee is the one thing that keeps me from committing murder."

"...Have you ever had a boyfriend when Finals Spencer takes over?"

Spencer shook his head. "Not yet, but just remember you love me."

Derek smiled. "I'm sure I'll love you regardless of whatever Finals Spencer may be."

"Remember that."

Before he left, Derek pulled on his jacket. "So, do I at least get some normal Spencer before Finals Spencer arrives?"

Spencer nodded. "For a few days, I'll still be my usual level of pleasant."

"Poor me," Derek teased.

Spencer rolled his eyes, pushing him. "Very funny. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"I'll have your tooth rotter ready," Derek said, taking his keys out of his pocket.

"Sounds perfect."

"Thank you for your help today. I appreciate it."

Spencer smiled. "I'm glad I could help." He leaned in, kissing him.

Derek pulled back, sighing. "As great as it would be to kiss in your living room all night? I have work tomorrow. When you're on break, we'll need to have another sleepover."

"Maybe," Spencer said teasingly.

Derek shook his head, walking outside. "I love you."

Spencer smirked, laughing to himself. "Good night. I love you too."

Derek got into his car, starting it and turning the heat up. He definitely knew that whatever 'Finals Spencer' was, it would be a true test on their relationship. It may have been a few short months, but Derek definitely didn't want to lose him to something as trivial as stress. All he had to do was figure out a way to deal with this super stressed Spencer and, hopefully, take some of his stress away.


	11. Finals Spencer

On Monday morning, Derek turned to Penelope. "So, this 'Finals Spencer' everyone's speaking of…"

"Don't even try talking to him," she warned. "The last few days, you have seen extremely pleasant 'calm before the storm Spencer'. Now that it's _officially_ Finals Week, keep your distance."

"Come on, he can't be that bad."

She wiped down her counter. "I'm telling you this because I love you. Stay away from him unless he comes to you, otherwise you're in for a big mess."

"...Seriously?"

She nodded. "Last appearance of 'Finals Spencer'? He blew up at JJ for offering him a ride to school. Finals Spencer doesn't sleep, he doesn't eat, and he barely functions. It doesn't matter that he has a super brain and is going to ace all of his finals. He is a _wreck_ and I beg of you to listen to me and stay away from him."

He raised his eyebrows. "...Wow."

"'Wow' doesn't even begin to cover it." She looked toward the door. "He's coming in. Be careful. And if he bites your head off, I'll try to sew it back on."

"...Thank you?"

She nodded slightly, preoccupying herself by filling the baked goods.

As Spencer approached the counter, Derek picked up a cup, starting to make his drink. "Don't even need to say it."

"Much appreciated."

He looked at him, curious. "You seem to be pleasant. I take it the finals haven't kicked in yet?"

Spencer shook his head. "Every day starting tomorrow."

"I don't know if it helps, but if you need anything at all this week, just give me a call and I'll be there."

"I appreciate it." He tapped his credit card on the counter, chewing on his cheek. "Throw in a bagel too."

"Toasted?" Penelope asked.

"Yes, please."

She picked one up, walking over to the toaster. "This is still normal Spencer," she whispered in Derek's ear as she passed, "enjoy him while he lasts."

He smiled to himself, picking up Spencer's card and swiping it, handing it back along with the receipt.

Spencer signed the receipt, picking up the drink and taking a sip. "I feel I should warn you that 'Finals Spencer' is a very tired person and doesn't really keep track of time. If I text you at 3 in the morning, I sincerely apologize."

"Thanks for the warning."

He smiled slightly, picking up the bag with his bagel. "Since I gave you advanced warning, can I also give out an advanced apology for anything I will probably say to you that I absolutely don't mean?"

Derek thought it over before nodding. "Absolutely. Apology accepted."

"And don't take anything I say too personally?"

"I promise."

Spencer opened his bag, checking his bagel. "...I didn't order a cake pop."

"You need it," Penelope insisted. "A little sugar to get you through."

"...Thank you?" He waved to her and turned to Derek. "I'll be in touch."

"I'll be waiting."

He turned around, walking out of the shop, and Penelope shook her head. "You have _no_ idea what you're getting yourself into."

He shook his head. "Definitely not."

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Derek only saw Spencer for two reasons: for coffee or food. It seemed like Spencer was living off of things from the coffeehouse, and Derek guessed it was because it took no effort on his part to make. When he'd come up to the counter, there was little to no interaction between the two of them. Derek would just make his drink, hand it to him, and Penelope would fetch whatever food he wanted. She'd hand it to him and with a small wave, then he'd walk out and close the door to the shop behind him.

Derek raised his eyebrows. "You know, I was told and I was warned, but I really don't think there was any way to prepare myself for _this_."

"Getting tired of the freeze out?" she asked. "Or is it possibly the snippy snappy Spencer you have an issue with?"

"It's the whole package. You warned me, he told me, and it's still way worse than I expected."

She smirked, patting his back. "You fell for Spencer Reid. Now you need to deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly that comes with him. I wish you all of the luck in the world surviving this week."

"...Thanks."

"You need it."

Spencer came in a couple of hours later, slamming his textbook onto the counter and looking up at them. Derek exhaled, picking up a cup and starting his order.

"Would it be crossing any lines asking what's wrong?"

"That professor had me stressing over this final, and for what? _Open textbook and open notes_?! I didn't spend the entire semester learning everything to get the same grade as my classmates who procrastinated all semester and lucked out on the final. It's bull! I earned my perfect score for the entire semester, and now there's going to be even more students with A's because of this ridiculousness and it makes _no_ sense."

Derek slid the cup over to him. "And he didn't warn you about this beforehand?"

Spencer glared at him. "Of course he didn't warn me beforehand. If he had, I wouldn't have bothered stressing over studying for this final at _all_. I believed that it was based off of classroom exercises and tests and quizzes and _everything_ we did this semester, but oh no, _everything_ was easily found in the textbook's index. It's like he was personally insulting me. It's his last bit of revenge for me correcting him the fourth week of class. Joke's on him when he gets his evaluation scores." He picked up the drink, sipping it and throwing his card down on the counter. "Breakfast sandwich?"

"What kind?"

"It doesn't matter. Something to pick at while I sit here and study for the next two hours for my _next_ final."

Derek turned to Penelope, who put her hands up. "On it."

He sighed, swiping the card and handing it to him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Spencer tucked the card into the wallet. "Leave me _alone_."

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I get it, you're committed and you care and you think that you have my best interest at heart, but all I want you to do is leave me alone for the next 72 hours. Are we clear?"

Derek's eyes widened before nodding, handing him his receipt. "Crystal. Sorry I asked."

Penelope handed Spencer the bag with his sandwich inside, and as he made himself comfortable at a table, she squeezed Derek's arm. "I promise he doesn't mean it."

He patted her hand. "Thanks, sweetness."

* * *

That night after work, Derek decided to get some takeout and stay in with Clooney, choosing to eat, walk him, and then go to bed early. Since he had the following day off, he was going to enjoy getting as much sleep as he could. He sat on his couch, poking his fork around in his food, watching Doctor Who on his TV. When his phone started ringing, he set his tray on the floor for Clooney to snack on and grabbing his phone, answering it.

"Hello?"

"...Derek?"

He raised an eyebrow. "...Hey, Spencer. Is everything okay?" he asked cautiously, unsure if he should talk to him considering his earlier warning.

Spencer sighed. "I um, I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry for bothering you. I know you have your own life and things to do and I'm really, truly sorry."

He reached over for his remote, pausing the TV and leaning back. "There's nothing to apologize for. What's up?"

Spencer exhaled, swallowing. "I-I'm really stressing over this Art History final," he admitted. "It's obviously not my subject of choice and it's an elective I _needed_ to take. I don't know if I can handle taking this final, considering it's not exactly in my comfort zone." He sniffed. "I can't do this."

Derek walked to his room, grabbing a backpack out of his closet. "Spencer, calm down. Deep breaths. Come on."

Spencer took a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," he repeated. "I just, I don't handle anxiety well and this is a definite source of anxiety."

He stuffed some clothes into the backpack, zipping it up. "It's fine, I've been there, I've done that, you'll be fine," he assured him, putting the backpack strap over his shoulder and going to the kitchen, grabbing Clooney's dog food. "Are you at home right now?"

"Um, yeah, I'm in my living room. Why?"

Derek grabbed his keys and Clooney's leash, hooking him onto it. "I'll be there in twenty minutes." Before Spencer could reply, he hung up, dropping Clooney off at his neighbor's house before getting into the car and driving.

* * *

On the way there, he picked up some fast food and coffees, knowing that Spencer had barely eaten anything all week. He got out of the car, grabbed his things, and walked to the front door, knocking.

"Come on, Spencer. It's me," he said, knocking again. "I'm here to help."

Spencer walked over, opening the door and sighing. "You didn't have to come. I've been rotten to you the last few days. You shouldn't have _wanted_ to come."

Derek shrugged. "Well, I'm here. Are you going to let me in?"

Spencer stepped back, holding the door open. "Thank you."

Derek walked to the living room, setting down the coffees and fast food bags. "I know you've been living off of coffee house food for the last few days, so I figured a burger, or what a fast food place passes as a burger, would help."

Spencer smiled slightly, closing the door and walking over, taking the seat beside him. "You have better places to be," he said softly, "you don't need to be here."

Derek took off his jacket, setting his backpack down. "I don't have work in the morning, and have nothing to do, so no, I don't have a better place to be than right here calming you down."

Spencer reached out, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. "What did I do in a past life to be worthy of this?"

"I don't know, but you're welcome." He reached into the bag, taking out a burger and fries, setting them in front of him. "Eat, then I'm going to help you study."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," Derek assured him, grabbing his own coffee and drinking it. "Like I said, I'm off tomorrow, and I have nothing else to do."

Spencer smiled appreciatively, picking up the burger. "You're kind of amazing."

"So I've heard."

* * *

After Spencer finished eating, Derek cleaned up the mess. "So, what is currently the bane of your existence?"

Spencer sighed, motioning toward his Art History textbook and several notebooks. "It's too much. Too many methods, too many artists, too much terminology." He shook his head. "I can't do it."

"I think you can," Derek told him. "I have faith in you."

Spencer smiled slightly. "Well, that makes one of us."

Derek threw away the trash, washing his hands and walking out to the living room, picking up his notebooks and flipping through. "Is it a cumulative final, or just based on material since your last test?"

"Cumulative," Spencer told him. "Hence the stress."

"And you're positive they won't pull the 'open book' trick like your other professor did?"

He quickly shook his head. "I asked, all but demanded an answer, and it's entirely possible I threatened him."

Derek raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "You _threatened_ your professor?"

"I told you. I don't like when people change their minds and inconvenience me." Spencer took the notebook from him. "What am I going to do?"

Derek opened up his bag, taking out a package of index cards and throwing them on the table. "Flash cards."

"Excuse me?"

He picked up the package, opening it. "You're hung up on names, dates, and terminology. Therefore, we're going to make flash cards. I read you the definition or description, you guess the person, place, or thing. It's a game of torture but it helps you remember what you need to know. We'll make them, drill you for a few hours, then you are getting some very much needed sleep."

"...I've never actually tried that method. Is it effective?"

Derek shrugged. "Was for me. I figure it's worth a try and makes it a tad less stressful."

Spencer reached into his endtable, taking out some pens and handing them to Derek. "Then let's get to work."

* * *

It had taken them nearly an hour, but they were able to put everything Spencer needed to study onto the flash cards. With Derek's help, Spencer had found pictures of the paintings he needed to remember online, printing them off so he could also quiz him on those.

"Now, with your super memory, if you didn't have all of this information before? I think this will _definitely_ be what you need to remember."

"Let's hope so," Spencer told him, stacking them and handing them over. "You're going to give me a bedtime, aren't you?"

"It's entirely possible."

He sighed. "Will you at least be joining me?"

He smirked. "Somebody needs to keep you calmed down."

"And what about tomorrow morning?"

"I'll be sure you wake up, actually eat a meal, and take you to your final."

Spencer reached over, picking up his drink and taking a sip. "And why would you do all of that?"

"Because I love you."

"And how will I return the favor?"

He shrugged. "You'll think of something eventually." He motioned toward the pile in his hands. "A couple hours of quizzing, then you're going to bed."

"...Sounds fair."

The two of them went through the flashcards for over two hours, and to no surprise, Spencer had gotten every single answer right every time. He seemed to finally calm down after the first round through them, but he insisted that the two of them needed to keep going. Eventually, it had gotten to a point where Spencer was yawning after every response. Derek wrapped the flashcards up with a rubber band, tossing them onto the table and eyeing Spencer.

"Go to bed."

"Excuse me?"

He pointed to the bedroom. "Put your pajamas on and get in bed. Your final is at 11:00 a.m. That means you can go to bed, actually sleep, have breakfast, plenty of coffee, go to class, get more studying done, take the final, come out, and officially be done with finals stress."

Spencer eyed the flashcards, sighing. "Fine. Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Now go."

He got up, walking to his bedroom and closing the door.

While Spencer was getting changed, Derek took it upon himself to close Spencer's textbooks and notebooks, putting them back into his bag and cleaning up the living room. He set his bag on his chair before picking up his own backpack, walking to the bathroom and changing into his pajamas.

* * *

He walked into the bedroom to find Spencer sitting up with an Art History book in hand. After plugging in his phone, he shook his head, taking the book from him and putting in a bookmark, setting it on his nightstand.

"But Derek! I was reading that for fun. It had nothing to do with the final."

Derek turned off the light on his nightstand before getting onto the opposite side of the bed. "You can go back to reading for fun when Finals Spencer isn't sitting under the surface," he told him, lying down and holding his arms out. "Now come on."

Spencer took a deep breath, sighing and moving over on the bed, looking up at him. "Thank you."

"Of course." He kissed his forehead. "You're going to do fine, Spencer. I know that finals are super stressful and they suck, but you're going to get your perfect score, finish your last final, and be done."

Spencer gave him a slight smile. "Thanks for having faith in me."

"Well someone has to. Obviously you don't have faith in yourself right now."

Spencer nudged him. "You remember finals. They're very stressful!"

"Yes, they are, but you survive them." He reached over for his phone, setting several alarms for the following morning and motioning toward it. "We're definitely going to wake up tomorrow morning. With all of these alarms on full volume, it's impossible not to. Everything's going to be okay."

He nodded slightly, pulling up the blankets and moving closer, sighing. "I'm ready to be rid of finals."

"I remember that," Derek said, laughing to himself. He reached over, rubbing his back. "Get some sleep. Please?"

Spencer nodded slightly. "Though I can't promise I'll stay asleep."

"As long as you try, I don't care."

He rested his head on Derek's chest, slipping his eyes shut. Derek was sure he'd have to convince him to sleep, but was relieved when he slowly but surely felt him fall asleep against him.

* * *

The following morning, Derek woke up to his phone alarm going off. He sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Turn it off before I smash your phone into a million pieces," Spencer mumbled against his chest.

"There's 'Finals Spencer' again," Derek teased, picking up his phone.

"Turn. It. Off."

He turned off the alarm and disabled the others that he'd set. "Come on, Pretty Boy." He tapped his arm. "Coffee's brewing and I owe you breakfast."

Spencer sighed, sitting up and stretching, before getting out of bed and going straight to the kitchen.

"Waste no time, do you?" Derek asked.

"None," Spencer called back to him, picking up a mug and filling it, putting in his sugar and taking a sip.

Derek walked out to the kitchen, opening his fridge and cabinets. "Let's see. No eggs. No bread. No pancake mix." He turned to Spencer. "What have you been eating all week?"

"I've been picking at the food I get from the coffee house," Spencer told him, pouring another cup of coffee for himself, then pouring one for Derek. "The food you brought last night was essentially my first real meal all week."

Derek shook his head, raising his eyebrows. "Okay, once you're caffeinated, get dressed. I'm taking you out for breakfast."

"You don't need to do that," Spencer said, opening his cabinets. "I could just have some cereal."

"I told you I'd give you breakfast in the morning, and I'm a man of my word."

Spencer smiled slightly, finishing his coffee and walking to his bedroom.

* * *

Less than a half hour later, the two of them were at the diner, eating their breakfast.

"Have I mentioned I'm sorry for being a jerk over the last few days?"

Derek nodded, putting some salt onto his scrambled eggs. "You may have mentioned it once or twice."

"Then can I apologize again?"

He quickly shook his head. "I'm no longer accepting apologies. You've unfortunately reached your maximum."

Spencer mock laughed, taking a bite of his toast. "You're hilarious. You should be a comedian."

"I could try it out. How early do you want to get to school?"

"As soon as possible? I mean, I could go to class, get my desired seat, go over those flashcards again once or twice, calm myself down, take the final, and be done."

"Makes sense to me." Derek swallowed his food. "Is there a place for me to park and wait for you?"

"Well technically you can park in the visitor lot which isn't too far from the building, but honestly, you don't need to wait for me to finish," Spencer insisted. "I can just take it and call you when I'm done."

Derek shrugged. "I want to do it. I have nothing else to do with my day off."

Spencer looked at him, curious. "What about your house?"

"It's all fixed up. Just a few finishing touches and it's on the market for at least five times what I paid for it."

"...Can I see it?"

"Maybe later." Derek winked at him, pointing to his plate. "Finish your food."

"Yes, _dear_," Spencer said, pulling his plate toward him and picking up his fork.

* * *

Derek parked in the lot, turning to Spencer. "You going to be okay?"

He nodded slightly, exhaling. "I'll be fine. I've studied. I know the subject. I can do it."

Derek gave him a smile. "There you go. Just keep repeating that in your head and you've got it. No psyching yourself out."

Spencer picked up his bag, putting it over his shoulder. "I should be out in a little over an hour. Are you going to be okay out here?"

"I'll be okay," Derek assured him. "I've got a fully charged phone with games, and if that isn't enough? I'll get out of the car, go into the student center, and get some coffee."

"Do you know where it is?"

Derek pointed out the window. "I could follow the signs. Now go. You'll do great."

Spencer smiled, leaning over and kissing him. "Thank you."

"Of course." He nudged him. "Now go."

He nodded, getting out of the car and closing the door, walking toward the building.

* * *

Getting bored of waiting in the car, Derek decided to relocate to the student center, sitting in a chair. Looking around, there were students stressed out, much like Spencer had been, with several textbooks in front of them and mumbling terminology to themselves. He sipped his coffee, taking out his phone and seeing a text message from Penelope.

_Sleepover again last night? Go you! Did Finals Spencer snap and bite your head off?_

He laughed to himself, shaking his head, before tucking the phone back into his pocket. She never gave him every detail of her life, so he didn't find it fair that she needed to know every detail of his. For now, she could just keep guessing.

His phone went off 20 minutes later and he took it out, checking it.

_Just got out. Where are you?_

_I'll be at the car in a minute._

He got up, throwing away his coffee cup and walking outside, toward the car.

He walked outside and saw Spencer waiting by the car. Upon seeing him, Spencer lit up, running over and wrapping his arms around his neck, kissing him.

Derek smiled, pulling back. "Somebody's in a good mood."

Spencer grinned, nodding. "Indeed. It's over, I passed with a perfect score, and I'm officially done with this semester."

"Should we celebrate?"

"I'm taking you to lunch."

"Are you sure?"

Spencer smiled. "Yes. I owe you one for last night."

"You don't owe me anything-"

Spencer sighed. "Please? Let me."

Derek took his car keys out of his pocket, twirling them around his finger before nodding. "Okay."

Spencer took his hand, walking to the car.

* * *

While they were eating, Derek noted that Spencer was much happier than he had been over the last few days, and this new Spencer was definitely one he could get used to.

"So," he started, cutting up his steak, "now that you're done with this semester and wiping your hands of it, what are you going to do?"

Spencer swallowed the food in his mouth, shrugging. "I'm taking a semester to myself. After being in school _constantly _since I was a young boy, I think I've more than earned some time away from the stress of academics and school and ridiculous professors."

"Really?" Derek asked, tearing off a piece of bread.

He nodded. "I mean, I know I'm not done _forever_. This is my third degree."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry... _third_?!"

"Mhm. I've done Psychology, Sociology, and Mathematics, as well as started the coursework toward Engineering and Chemistry. I'd like to finish those and possibly even start one in History."

"And why would you do that?"

"I don't do well with boredom," Spencer put plainly. "I can't sit still for too long, so I know this semester off is going to try me, but my advisor actually suggested it. If I do go back to school for the others, it'll take a few semesters to do the major requirement coursework, and since I've been in school nonstop for _years_, I don't want to burn myself out."

"It makes sense. I mean, if you saddle yourself with too much, you'll reach a very unpleasant breaking point. Having seen 'Finals Spencer', I don't even want to imagine Run Down Spencer."

Spencer mock laughed, eating. "Hilarious."

"One of many things you love about me, I'm sure."

"Sometimes I wonder," Spencer teased, winking at him.

Derek smirked. "Back at you."

* * *

Spencer set his napkin on the table. "So, I've had a question for a while, and haven't quite known how to ask you?"

Derek looked at him, curious. "...Okay, go ahead?"

He cleared his throat, opening up the check and tucking his credit card into it, holding it out to the waitress. "Well, the holidays are coming up, and you invited me to your house for the holiday, along with everyone else from Thanksgiving to thank them."

"I'm with you so far?"

The waitress came back, setting the check down and Spencer sighed, looking at him. "I've never been in a relationship around the holidays, so I guess my question is are we celebrating together?"

"Excuse me?"

"...Well, more specifically, are we exchanging gifts?"

Derek wrung his hands, thinking to himself. It hadn't even crossed his mind that Spencer might not want to do it. He turned to him. "Well, I'll leave it up to you. Do you think we should?"

Spencer stretched slightly, writing the tip, before putting his card back into his wallet. "Maybe?"

"And by maybe you mean?"

"I don't know. I'm confused by the whole thing really."

Derek nodded. "Understandable. How about a compromise?"

"I'm listening…"

"Well, we could exchange gifts, but set a limit, so there's less pressure to spend more money?"

"...Sounds fair." Spencer got up, pulling on his jacket. "So, you finished your latest house project."

"I have," Derek said, putting his own jacket on and pushing in his chair. "Want to see it now that it's all done?"

He smiled, nodding. "I think I'd like that."

Derek took out his keys. "Then let's go."

* * *

Derek pulled into the driveway, parking. "Obviously, it needs to be furnished, but all of the repair work has been done to make the house presentable for sale."

Spencer nodded, unbuckling himself. "I'm sure it'll be great."

Derek got out of the car, locking it and taking Spencer's hand. He walked up to the front door, unlocking it and walking inside.

Spencer stopped in his tracks, looking around at the house, smiling. "Wow."

"Not too bad, huh?"

He shook his head slightly. "Not at all… you did all of this in the four months I've known you?"

"Mhm." Derek leaned against the kitchen counter. "Two bedroom, one and a half bath, and cleaned up the backyard. Perfect place for a starting family or roommates."

Spencer walked around, looking in each room, before walking up to Derek, kissing him and pulling back. "Just one question."

"I'm listening."

He looked at him, crossing his arms. "When does work start on the next one?"

"Why, do you want in?"

He nodded, smiling. "I definitely think you could use my help."

Derek laughed to himself. "I'll let you know."

* * *

The two of them were sitting at the kitchen table, Derek telling Spencer about all of the different things he had done to the house since buying it.

"Is it hard?" Spencer asked.

"Is what hard?" Derek responded, confused.

"You put your heart and soul into each of these houses. You put your time and money into them to make them pristine and perfect and great for the next person to enjoy it as much as possible. Is it hard to let all of your hard work go and move on?"

"It was," Derek admitted. "That's why I still hold onto my first place. It's like kids leaving home, in an odd way. But… it's about knowing you can't keep them forever, and that other people need to like them as much as I did, if not more. It's loving something and realizing you need to let it go."

Spencer nodded slightly, swallowing. "Okay. That makes sense."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

He cleared his throat, nodding. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. I think the exhaustion of the week is just getting to me. Do you mind taking me home?"

"Not at all." Derek stood up, grabbing his keys and following Spencer out of the house, locking it up.

* * *

Penelope walked over to a table in the coffee shop, setting down her drink and another, sitting across from JJ.

"I swear, a half hour break is not enough. I love my shoes and my collection of them is fascinating, but they do _not_ make for a good thing to wear on an eight hour shift of standing." She kicked off her heels, wiggling her toes and exhaling. "_Wow_ that feels good."

JJ wrinkled her nose and smiled. "You could wear flats."

"I could also put normal colors into my hair as highlights and wear colors that aren't neon. What's the fun in life if I act normal?"

JJ laughed to herself. "Should've seen that answer coming."

Penelope sipped her coffee. "How have the lovebirds been?"

JJ raised an eyebrow. "You talk to Derek nearly every day. I fail to see why I need to tell you."

"Because he doesn't _tell_ me anything anymore because he's always holding Sam over my head. If I get information from him, he needs to know more things about Sam. Come on, _anything_?"

JJ shrugged. "There was another sleepover last night, just like I told you?" she offered. "Spence was really panicking about finals, called Derek, and he came right over with food, coffee, and flash cards to help him out. I have to say, I _really_ like him with Spence, because he seems to bring him down to earth and realize that he's great."

Penelope nodded. "Definitely. And Derek teaches him to be, for lack of a better word, normal."

"Hope it lasts," JJ mumbled, taking another sip and raising her eyebrows.

"...And what does that cryptic message mean?"

JJ sighed. "Not a single word to Derek about this, you have to promise me."

"...I promise."

She gripped her cup. "Well, Spence's advisor told him to take a semester off, and he thinks Spence should complete his 2 BAs, then go to grad school to make them all PhDs."

"I fail to see the problem?"

"Most of the grad school programs he needs are out of state," JJ explained. "None of the schools around here have them and his advisor told him about the out of state option, and he's on the fence. He _wants_ to do it, but he won't."

"Why not?"

JJ gave him a look. "Because of _Derek_."

Penelope raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. He really likes him and doesn't want to jeopardize his relationship and his happiness just to get more degrees."

"And he's talked to you about this?"

"..._Pretty_ extensively. I've tried talking him into it and he won't."

"Well, it's pretty far in the future? I mean, he has two to finish-"

"Which after his semester off will turn into a couple of semesters before he goes out of state." She turned to Penelope. "I know you're close to Derek, but keep it a secret, please? Spence is hung up on this decision and thinks Derek's going to be around for a long time, and he doesn't want to crush him."

Penelope took a deep breath, sighing. "_Fine_, you have my silence _for now_."

"That's all I ask. Just until Spence is comfortable enough to say something to him."

She bit her lip, nodding. "So, all of those degrees, what the _hell_ is he planning on doing?"

JJ laughed, finishing her coffee. "Your guess is as good as mine."


	12. Christmas

Christmas had always been Derek's favorite time of year. Ever since he was a little kid, he enjoyed everything, from decorating the outside of the house to picking out a tree to decorating it to peppermint _everything_ being everywhere. It was definitely the holiday to match Spencer's love of Halloween. When he had an afternoon off, he decided he would get all of his decorations out of the garage and get started. It had snowed, so his first chore was going to be shoveling the walkways and cleaning off the roof so he didn't end up hurting himself.

When he had just finished the roof, he grabbed a shovel from the garage, cleaning up the walkway. His phone went off and he took it out of his pocket, pulling off his glove and answering.

"Hello?"

"Is the romance really so dead you can't even give a fun greeting?" Spencer teased.

Derek laughed to himself. "I guess so. Such a shame."

"Indeed. What are you up to today?"

Derek looked over at the boxes spread across his front lawn. "Getting some decorating done. Why, what's up?"

"Well, I don't have anything to do and figured I'd see if you wanted to do something… but if you'd like, I could come by with some hot chocolate in the next half hour and help you out?" he offered.

Derek thought it over. "I think that sounds like an amazing idea. I guess I'll see you soon."

"I guess you will." Derek heard the sound of a book closing. "I love you."

"I love you too. Don't bring any books."

Spencer mock laughed, hanging up, and Derek tucked the phone back into his pocket, hoping he could get the shoveling done before Spencer came over.

Derek had just grabbed the ladder from the garage when he saw Spencer's car pull up in the driveway. He leaned the ladder against the house and turned around, smiling at him.

"Hello, darling, how are you doing this fine December afternoon?"

"That's better," Spencer said, holding out a cup to him, "peppermint hot chocolate?"

"Yes, please." He took it, taking a sip and smiling to himself.

Spencer motioned toward the bag on his shoulder. "Do you mind if I stay the night? JJ's mother is in town since she won't be around on Christmas, and if I'm home, I get dragged into a bunch of family things that I really don't want to be a part of, considering it's not my own family."

"Understandable. Just stick it inside, then we can get started."

"Want me to let Clooney out?" he asked, walking toward the house.

"Please." Derek sat on the front step as Spencer walked inside, holding his hot chocolate and warming up his hands. Clooney ran past him and as if it was a reflex he grabbed his collar, hooking him up to the lead.

"Sorry, he dashed out as soon as I said 'outside'."

"Should've warned you about that, but don't worry. It's happened so often I'm used to it," he said, motioning toward Clooney and taking another sip of his drink.

Spencer walked over to the totes and boxes, opening them up and looking at the decorations, eyebrows raised. "You really do go all out, don't you?"

"Mhm. It's my Halloween."

"I could hardly tell," Spencer said with a smile, taking out several things. "And these are?"

"Inflatables," Derek explained, taking out an extension cord. "Hook them up to these, let them blow up, and you've got a snow globe, a sleigh with some reindeer, and a Christmas Snoopy."

"Snoopy?"

Derek looked at him. "Seriously? Snoopy, from Peanuts? You can't be 22 years old and never seen _A Charlie Brown Christmas_." When Spencer continued to stare at him, he shook his head. "Tonight, you're getting a Christmas specials introduction. Have you seen _any_ Christmas movies?"

"I'm a fan of _A Muppet Christmas Carol_," Spencer defended, "and I do like _Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas_ \- the original, not the remake."

"Good, so what you've seen is good taste." He took out his lights, groaning. "And of course, the Christmas light gods are against me and tangled them."

Spencer picked them up. "On it." He walked over, sitting on the porch and untangling them.

"Seriously, you want to sit there and do that?"

Spencer nodded slightly, untangling some of them and setting them aside. "It's meditative."

Derek raised his eyebrows before shaking his head. "Whatever you say."

While Spencer untangled the lights, Derek set up the decorations on the roof.

"Please be careful," Spencer called up to him. "I took care of you once, but if you fall off, I'm pretty sure I'll need to take you to the emergency room."

Derek laughed to himself. "I've done this plenty of years without supervision. I think I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure," Derek said, tiptoeing across the roof to the ladder, climbing down and looking at his hard work. "How does it look?"

Spencer got up, turning toward the roof and raising his eyebrows, impressed. "Not too bad. Though your Blitzen reindeer is crooked."

Derek eyed the roof before sighing, shaking his head and climbing back up. "Only you."

"One of the things you love about me," Spencer called up, finishing off his cocoa and untangling the rest of the lights.

Once all of the lights were up, the two of them stepped back and looked at their handiwork.

"I'd say we make a good team," Spencer said, turning to him.

Derek put an arm around his shoulder, nodding and kissing his cheek. "I say so too. Thanks."

"Glad I could help." Spencer stepped away from him, picking up the boxes. "Where to with these?"

Derek pointed to the garage. "The empty space in the back."

"Should be easy to find." Spencer walked over, pulling up the garage door and walking inside, setting them down, Derek close behind.

After letting Clooney back in, the two of them changed into pajamas and sat on the couch with some chicken noodle soup and crackers.

"I know I make the world's most romantic meals," Derek said, stirring around his spoon.

"Let me guess. It's your afternoon off and considering you put all of your effort into your yard and your house, it was easy to do?"

"Bingo." He sat back, picking up the remote and pulling up his DVR. "You've honestly _never_ seen a Charlie Brown cartoon?"

"Well, I've seen _It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown_, because it _is_ considered a Halloween movie, but other than that? I never really pursued it."

Derek wrapped an arm around him, smiling. "Then consider this your reintroduction," he told him, pressing play.

* * *

Later that night, the two of them were in Derek's room, Spencer cuddled up against his side.

"Did you like your Christmas movie education?" Derek asked, running his hand up Spencer's back.

He nodded. "Your taste in movies isn't horrible like I expected."

Derek put a hand to his chest. "Again with this sass. My old heart can't take it."

Spencer laughed to himself, moving closer and wrapping an arm around Derek's middle. "You're off tomorrow?"

"Yep. No alarms and just need to get up for the little furry one."

"I like the sound of that," Spencer told him, smiling.

"That makes two of us. In a few days, my mom's flying in, and that's when holiday chaos kicks in."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Chaos?"

"My mom, I love her, but the holidays make her very… excitable. She gets in, she needs to help decorate the tree, hence why it's not done yet. She needs to do last minute present shopping and gift wrapping. She insists on doing the grocery shopping for Christmas dinner, whether I cook it or not, because she doesn't trust me to get the things my sisters like."

"You've forgotten them in the past, haven't you?" Spencer asked, eyeing him.

"Once or twice, but that's beside the point."

Spencer chuckled. "She sounds eccentric, yet interesting."

"That's pretty much hitting the nail on the head." He leaned over, turning off the light on his nightstand before getting comfortable, kissing Spencer's forehead. "Let's get some sleep, Pretty Boy. I'll make breakfast whenever you wake up."

"Don't need to tell me twice," Spencer mumbled, burying his head in Derek's chest.

* * *

The next morning, Derek heard Clooney scatter toward the front door, but ignored it, wrapping his arms around Spencer and taking in a few more minutes of sleep before he had to get up and let him out. When he heard his bedroom door creak open, he sighed, shaking his head.

"Clooney, five more minutes," he mumbled. "Please, boy. Respect a day off."

Clooney jumped up on the bed, trampling all over them and sitting beside Derek.

He sighed, leaning over and petting him. "...Why are your paws wet?" he said softly. "Did you spill your water bowl again?"

"Clooney!" he heard from the kitchen, followed by a whistle. His eyes widened, realizing that his mother had shown up several days early.

He tried to get Clooney to jump off the bed, but he stayed firmly planted on Derek's side. He ran a hand over his face, dreading the events of the next few minutes and lying down, pulling Spencer closer to him.

"What?" Spencer mumbled. "I hear noises and it's too early."

Before Derek could explain, his bedroom door opened and he winced, burying his head in the pillow.

"Derek, you didn't tell me you switched coffee brands, this one is _definitely_ better. Now, Clooney, I told you to let him sleep."

Spencer paused before looking up at Derek, eyes wide. "Is that-"

Derek nodded, sighing. "I am _so_ sorry," he whispered.

She raised an eyebrow, looking up at the bed. "Oh my. Derek you didn't tell me you were - that you," she put her hands up, "my mistake, carry on."

Derek sat up, running a hand over his face and motioning toward Spencer under the blankets. "Spencer, my mom. Mom, this is Spencer."

Spencer blushed and poked his head out of the blanket, looking up at her and waving. "Hi, Mrs. Morgan," he said softly, before pulling the blanket over his head again.

Derek looked down, nudging the lump of blankets where Spencer was hiding. "Come on. I promise you a normal introduction to my sisters. Hiding won't erase this one."

Spencer whined. "_Coffee_."

Derek laughed, kissing the top of his head. "I'll have it ready for you in a few minutes." He turned to his mother. "Meet you in the kitchen."

She nodded, blushing and apologizing, walking out of the room.

Derek followed her out, pouring a cup of coffee for Spencer and one for himself, setting them on the counter.

"I'm so sorry, Derek. I didn't know you and Spencer were that serious or I wouldn't have just walked in. I figured it would just be you and Clooney in bed."

He shrugged, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. "It's fine. You had to meet him eventually, right?" he said, flashing her a smile before taking another sip.

Spencer walked to the kitchen, picking up his mug and taking a sip, smirking. "Much better."

"Now that you're awake?" Derek said after he took a few more sips. "Spencer Reid, Fran Morgan."

Spencer gave her a small wave, taking the seat next to Derek and across from her. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Morgan." He quickly pointed to Derek's room. "That wasn't anything, if you assumed it was something that is. Derek and I haven't - and we surely wouldn't, knowing you were coming, though Derek thought you'd arrive a few days later, but still, we-" Derek leaned in, pressing his lips against Spencer's, and Spencer pulled back, blushing, "thank you."

She smiled at him. "You're everything Derek has said and so much more. Don't worry, I didn't assume anything. Besides, I lived with Derek. I know his guilty 'I just had sex' face."

"Mom!"

She winked at Spencer before picking up her own coffee, taking a sip. "It's nice to meet you, Spencer."

He grinned. "Nice to meet you too."

"So, Spencer," she said, looking over at him. "Derek says you're in college?"

"Sort of?" Spencer told her, sipping his coffee. "I just finished all of the coursework I had for my current area of study, so I'm taking a semester off to relax and regroup, then I'm finishing up my other two degrees I started."

She raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Not bad." She pointed to where Derek was cooking. "Please tell me he's being good to you?"

He smiled, nodding. "He's been great, really. I stress over academics, considering my full boat scholarship, and Derek has been very patient with me, even when I was less than sociable." He heard Derek scoff and rolled his eyes. "Did he tell you about the time he took me to a fun center to get me away from an assignment?"

She shook her head slightly. "No, why?"

"Spencer-" Derek warned.

"He did fantastic at calming me down, but I did pretty well at beating him at every single activity: go karts, miniature golf, and even the batting cages."

She turned to Derek. "Batting cages? You've been going to those since you were five. How did you manage that?"

"Hit by a pitch," Derek put plainly, flipping a pancake.

"Your son really is a gentleman though. I wasn't exactly pleasant when I was worried about school, and he stuck by me. I have to thank you for how you raised him, because really, he was great. Checked on me, kept me calm, made sure I was eating and taking care of myself. There's definitely worse out there."

"You're welcome," Derek said, walking over and setting plates down, "now, breakfast is served."

* * *

While they were eating, Spencer and Fran, which she insisted he should call her, kept up the small talk, getting to know each other. Spencer found it easy to open up to her, just like he had with Derek. Derek was glad that Spencer got along so well with his mother, and she warmed up to him quicker than she ever had with any of his past boyfriends.

She turned to Derek. "Have you started your list for grocery shopping yet?"

Derek gave Spencer a look before taking the list off of the fridge, holding it out to her. "All done."

She read it over and raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Not bad." She turned to Spencer. "Will you be joining us on Christmas?"

He nodded. "I don't have family out here, with the exception of my neighbor who insists on being my older sister, so all of us are coming over here. I hope that's okay."

She waved her hand in the air. "The more, the merrier." She motioned toward the list. "You're more than welcome to come shopping with us so you can grab whatever it is you like for sides or vegetables or dessert."

"I don't want to be any trouble."

She shook her head. "No trouble at all. What's your favorite dessert? I'll be sure to make it."

"Really, you don't-"

Derek cupped a hand over his mouth. "You're not winning this one. Just tell her."

Spencer blushed, pushing his hand off. "I'm a big fan of chocolate cream pie in a graham cracker crust. If you could do that, I would be thankful."

"No problem." She looked at the two of them as Derek grabbed their plates. "I'll take care of the dishes, you two get dressed."

"I could help-" Spencer started, but after seeing the look on Derek's face and his headshake, he kept his mouth closed, walking to Derek's room and grabbing his bag before closing the bathroom door.

* * *

When they were in the car, Derek took the list, handing it to Spencer in the backseat.

"What are you doing?" Fran asked.

"You'll see." Derek took it from him a minute later. "Spencer, what was the thirteenth item on the list?"

"Green beans, right above the potatoes and right below the butter," Spencer said, staring out the window.

"Did you two rehearse this?"

Derek shook his head. "He remembers everything he's ever read."

She raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Spencer, you're definitely going to come in handy," she said, smiling and wringing her hands on the steering wheel.

"Glad I could help."

After the grocery shopping trip, they were all in Derek's kitchen, putting the groceries away. Spencer was currently reorganizing Derek's fridge to fit everything, while Derek was doing the same with the cabinets.

"Did we get everything?"

Spencer nodded. "All thirty-one items, including twelve additional items," he told them, closing the refrigerator door and walking over to the sink, washing his hands. "So you two are going to work on decorating again today?"

"You're more than welcome to join us," Fran offered.

He shook his head. "I got to do the outside yesterday with him. The inside is all yours. Besides, I think the two of you could do with some time together, mother and son."

Derek walked to the living room, grabbing his bag and handing it to him. "You'll come back before the holiday, right?" he asked. "My mom being here doesn't mean you have a 'no visit' policy."

Spencer smiled, putting his bag over his shoulder. "I'll think about it."

"Oh?"

He looked over and saw Fran preoccupied with putting everything away so he leaned in, giving Derek a kiss. "I promise."

"I'll hold you to it."

Spencer grinned, bending down and petting Clooney, before waving to Derek and Fran, walking outside.

Fran clicked her tongue. "Honey, you have it bad."

* * *

Over the next week and a half, Derek saw Spencer several times a day when he was working, and the two of them had gone out on a lunch date, so Derek could have some time with just them. With his sisters coming to town, he wanted Spencer to have as little exposure to them as possible. Unfortunately, his sisters wanted to meet Spencer, and Derek guessed that was to size him up, and then embarrass him as much as they could.

On Christmas Eve, Derek had set a fire in his fireplace and was in the process of making some cocoa to go with his mother's cookies when there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," his older sister called out.

"No, you won't," he said, running to the front door and checking the window before opening it, smiling. "Hey, you didn't say you were coming by."

"Is this a bad time?" Spencer asked. "I could come back. I just figured we really haven't seen each other that much except for at work and that one time we did lunch…"

Derek shook his head. "Come on in," he said, holding the door open, "though I must warn you, my sisters came in yesterday."

"Should I be scared?" he asked, stepping inside and taking off his jacket, hanging it up on the hook by the door.

His younger sister gasped. "He is so adorable!"

"You tell me," Derek said, raising his eyebrows. "I loved you, even through Finals Spencer. You love me, despite my family."

Spencer nodded. "Can do."

Derek walked to the kitchen, pouring several mugs of cocoa, Spencer helping him carry them out to the living room. They sat down on the couch, Derek wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

Desiree held out her hand to him. "Desiree, Derek's younger sister."

He held up his hand, waving slightly. "I actually - I don't shake hands. The number of pathogens passed-"

Derek covered his mouth. "Don't finish that sentence, she'll actually do it."

He blushed, moving Derek's hand. "I just don't shake hands. It's nothing against you."

She put up her hands. "Totally fine."

Sarah waved. "Sarah, and boy do I have a lot of stories about little Derek for you."

Spencer grinned. "I look forward to hearing them." He reached out, picking up his mug and taking a sip. "Decorations are nice," he observed, looking around the apartment.

"It took us all of that afternoon," Derek explained. "Still think we could've used a little genius touch."

"I'm sure, but I'm sure you enjoyed the time with your mom."

He kissed Spencer's cheek. "That I did. Thank you." He ignored his sister's 'aww'ing at them and shook his head.

His mother walked in, setting a tray of cookies on the table. "Fresh out of the oven, Grandma's Christmas Cookies."

Derek leaned over, taking two, holding one out to Spencer. "Interested?"

Spencer took it, eyeing it. "What makes it a Christmas cookie, aside from the cookie cutters that make the cookies into trees and snowflakes?"

"The fact that Mom makes them every Christmas Eve. She did it, her mom did it, and generations before that, but they're always 'Grandma's Christmas Cookies'," Derek explained, taking a bite.

"Just a peppermint sugar cookie, with some colored sugar crystals," Fran explained, taking a seat in Derek's armchair.

Spencer took a bite, raising his eyebrows, pleasantly surprised. "Tradition?"

Derek nodded. "Grandma's Christmas Cookies and hot chocolate, and we all sit around and watch _Christmas Eve on Sesame Street_. We've done it as long as I could remember."

Spencer smiled. "It sounds nice."

"You're welcome to join us," Sarah told him. "It's Derek's all time favorite, and he only ever watches it on Christmas Eve with the family."

Spencer looked at him. "I can stay?"

Derek wrapped his arms around him. "You can definitely stay. Desi, would you do the honors?"

She got up, grabbing the movie and putting it into the player, pressing 'play' once it loaded up.

* * *

Once the movie was over, Desiree had offered to clear the plates and mugs while everyone else relaxed. She came back a few minutes later, dangling something over Derek and Spencer's heads.

Derek looked up, sighing. "Really, Des? How old are you?"

"Younger than you," she pointed out, motioning toward the sprig in her hand. "Come on."

Derek eyed Spencer. "I'm sorry."

He raised an eyebrow. "For…?"

He leaned over, kissing Spencer and looking at her. "Satisfied?"

"Very," she said, dropping it.

Spencer picked it up, examining it. "Not that I mind, but the purpose of that, and the correlation to this is…?"

"Mistletoe," Derek explained, running a hand over his face, "holiday tradition says if you're caught under it with somebody, you kiss."

"...Okay." He tossed the sprig on the table, resting his head against Derek and leaning against him, putting his feet up on the couch.

"You two are so adorable it's sickening," Sarah said, tucking her feet under herself.

Derek shrugged it off, kissing the top of Spencer's head and rubbing his back.

"Did Derek tell you how much of a chubby little baby he was?" Desiree asked, reaching into her bag.

Derek groaned. "Dear God."

"Or how much of a stick he was when he started high school?" Sarah added.

Spencer shook his head. "It came up in conversation once or twice, but we never really expanded on it. Why?"

Desiree held up a book, sitting on the floor in front of Spencer. "Memory lane time."

Spencer raised an eyebrow, looking at the book in her hands before sitting up, leaning over. "Is that a photo album?"

"Indeed." Sarah sat beside her sister, flipping to the first page and pointing. "I think you can see why he doesn't grow his hair out. It's a mess."

He smiled. "I guess so." He pointed to a picture. "And I guess he enjoyed his birthday suit as a child."

Derek leaned back on the couch, running a hand over his face. He listened and watched as the two of them took him on a journey through his embarrassing moments, his preteen years, and before he'd bulked up and found out he was good at sports. It was nothing too horrible, but it wasn't exactly what he wanted his boyfriend to see either.

* * *

When they were done, Spencer checked the time. "I should get home. JJ's going to come by and drop off leftovers from her Christmas Eve dinner, claiming 'I'm too thin' and 'Derek doesn't feed me enough'." He scoffed. "She'll see tomorrow how big your portion sizes are."

Derek smiled. "Yes she will."

"Is JJ your sister?" Sarah asked.

"Not really?" He got up, pulling on his jacket. "We grew up in the same neighborhood and upon finding out I was an only child, insisted that she was my older sister. We're now neighbors and she's pretty much always looking out for me." He pulled on his scarf, looking at Derek. "Walk me outside?"

Derek nodded, getting up and slipping on his shoes, grabbing his own jacket and pulling it on. He followed Spencer outside and sighed. "Thanks for putting up with them."

"I had fun," Spencer said, shrugging. "It was interesting and they seem nice."

"Seeming is one thing. The truth is another."

He smiled. "I guess I'll see more of it tomorrow."

Derek leaned against his car. "Any chance you can stay over some night soon? I have tomorrow off for the holiday and the next day, so no alarms."

Spencer grinned. "I think I could manage that, so long as you can promise me there won't be another Morgan family wake-up call."

Derek held up his hand. "Scout's honor."

Spencer leaned in, kissing him. "I'll see you tomorrow. Does it matter what time?"

Derek shook his head, opening his door. "Come by whenever."

Spencer nodded, getting in and setting his bag on the passenger seat. "Have fun with them going down memory lane the rest of the night."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be 'going to bed' soon to get them to do the same." Derek winked at him. "See you tomorrow, Pretty Boy."

Spencer started his car, saluting him, before buckling his seatbelt and closing the door, driving home.

* * *

The next morning, Derek's mother was in the kitchen making breakfast while he was in the living room, flipping through the channels and trying to figure out which Christmas special the three of them could settle on. They had opened their presents first thing in the morning, much to his dismay, so now they were winding down.

"What about _A Christmas Story_?" he asked, motioning toward the TV.

"It already started," Desiree argued, "we can watch it in a few hours when it plays again."

He went up another channel. "Okay. _It's a Wonderful Life_."

Sarah shook her head. "Too depressing."

He exhaled, going to On Demand and looking at the movies, humming to himself. When there was a knock on the door, he handed the remote to Sarah. "Since you two are so indecisive, it's all you."

She took the remote, looking through the movies and finally selecting one he was sure would be a romantic comedy. He walked over to the door, checking the window before smiling, opening it. "Merry Christmas, Pretty Boy."

Spencer took in his Christmas sweater, smiling. "Merry Christmas." He checked his watch. "Is this too early? I could come back later."

"I told you to come by whenever. Come on in," he said, holding the door open. "Mom, room for another at the breakfast table?"

"It's fine if there isn't," Spencer argued, stepping inside and taking off his boots, "I already had some coffee."

Fran scoffed. "_Coffee_ is not a good Christmas breakfast! There's plenty to go around and it should be ready in about ten minutes. You're more than welcome at our Morgan family breakfast, as a new member of the Morgan family."

Spencer turned to Derek. "Member of the Morgan family?"

"Yeah, if Mama approves of you, you're automatically a Morgan."

Spencer smiled and pulled off his jacket, hanging it up. "That's not so bad." He turned back to the kitchen. "Do you need help setting the table?"

She looked into the living room. "See that, children? Those are _manners_. I taught them to you many years ago, and apparently they're long lost."

Derek laughed, patting Spencer's back and walking out to the kitchen. "We've got you, Mama."

He handed the napkins and plates to Spencer while he grabbed the glasses and the silverware, setting the table with him.

"Does it matter where I sit?" Spencer asked, motioning toward the table.

"I'm sure Derek would like you in his lap," Desiree offered, sitting down across from Derek.

"Desiree!" their mother snapped.

She winced. "Sorry, mom."

Fran shook her head, going back to her cooking.

Spencer blushed, taking the seat beside Derek. "Should we um, exchange gifts now, or would you prefer to do that later?"

Derek saw his sisters listening in on the conversation. "Later."

Fran walked over, taking a few trips to set everything on the table. "Let's eat."

Spencer made his plate, turning to Derek. "So this is what you usually do?"

Derek nodded. "After presents, Mama tells us to go watch movies and Christmas specials while she makes her famous Morgan Family Christmas Breakfast. It's been that way as long as I could remember. She even still makes Dad's favorite," he said, pointing to a plate of cinnamon rolls in the middle of the table.

"One year, Derek insisted they were his favorite too," Sarah said, swallowing the food in her mouth, "bit into one, out came his front tooth. He was petrified and wouldn't eat them for a couple of years after that because he was scared they would take his teeth too."

Derek mock laughed, picking one up and taking a bite, smiling at her. "Still there."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Fran warned, pointing her fork at him.

Spencer smiled. "Very mature of you," he said, taking one and putting it on his plate.

After they'd finished breakfast, Fran insisted on everyone going to the living room to relax while she cleaned up. Spencer had offered a few times to give her a hand, and Fran had Derek take his hand and lead him away from the kitchen.

"Point taken," Spencer said, sitting down on the couch.

Derek smirked, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and kissing the side of his head. "Morgans don't do subtle," he said, picking up the remote and choosing a Christmas special, pressing 'play'.

* * *

Once his mother was done cleaning up the kitchen, she called for Sarah and Desiree to help her get everything prepared for dinner that night, which Derek saw as his out to exchange gifts with Spencer. They got up from the couch, Spencer grabbing his bag, and walked to Derek's room, closing the door behind them.

Spencer sat on his bed while Derek opened his dresser drawer, taking out his gift and setting it on the bed, sitting beside him.

Spencer chewed on his cheek, holding the package in his hand out to Derek. "You first."

"That can't be good," Derek teased, taking the rectangular box from him.

"I've never shopped for a significant other before," Spencer admitted, "so I wasn't sure really what I was supposed to do or what I should've gotten. If there's a problem, I can get rid of it and get you something else. You don't have to fake liking it or anything."

Derek cupped a hand over his mouth. "I'm sure I'll love it, whatever it may be, but way to give me a confidence boost."

Spencer pushed his hand off, mock laughing.

Derek grabbed the corner of the wrapping paper, ripping it off and opening the box, instantly recognizing the tickets inside. "Blackhawks? You got me _Blackhawks_ tickets?"

"Yeah, they're your favorite team right?" He inspected the tickets. "Chicago Blackhawks, your hometown."

Derek leaned over, hugging him, before giving him a kiss. "These are _perfect, _thank you. How did you manage this? Usually around here you can't get tickets because they won the Cup-" he paused, smiling, "Penelope."

Spencer nodded. "Bingo." He motioned toward the box. "And you _happen_ to have an extra ticket, and I happen to know someone who wouldn't mind going on a date night to the arena, and possibly enjoying overpriced nachos."

Derek laughed. "Spencer, would you like to go with me?"

Spencer shrugged slightly. "If you're asking."

Derek grabbed the wrapped present in front of him, chewing on his lip, before holding it out to Spencer. "Same warning. You, Spencer Reid, are not an easy person to shop for."

"I never have been," Spencer defended, "it's just the kind of person I am, I guess?"

"At least you can recognize that trying to shop for you is a pain in the ass."

Spencer nudged him with his elbow before tearing off the wrapping paper, opening up the box. "Always a plus," he started, taking out a Doctor Who travel mug and holding it up, along with a canister of coffee, "a major plus, and you know me so well."

"One thing I could depend on is your love of coffee."

Spencer pushed aside the tissue paper, gasping and smiling to himself. "Oh, wow."

"I had to call in some help from JJ," he admitted, "I hope it's okay."

Spencer reached in the box, taking out a small music box and twisting the crank, listening to the music.

"You mentioned the music box your mom would play for you when things would get bad way back when on one of our outings." Derek started. "She gave it to you the same day she gave you that teddy bear, and I figured you could use that familiar tune in your life for when you get stressed out."

Spencer grinned, setting it down and wrapping his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you so much," he muttered, squeezing him, "it's great." He pulled back, exhaling. "Now I feel bad I only got you those tickets."

"_Only_?" Derek said. "Those are tough to come by. But if you feel guilty, buy me a beer at the game and we'll call it even," Derek said, winking.

Spencer smiled, nodding, putting the music box back into the tissue paper, before putting the lid back on the box it had come in. "Can we um, stay in here for a little bit?" Spencer asked. "I don't want your sisters to see me emotional and then bother you about it."

"Sounds perfect." Derek moved the presents off of the bed, lying back and holding out his arms. Spencer laid down beside him, resting his head on Derek's chest and grinning. "Thank you."

Derek kissed his forehead. "Thank you too."

* * *

Neither of them had realized they'd drifted off until they heard a knocking on the front door. Derek leaned over and saw it was past noon, sighing.

"Company," he mumbled, nudging Spencer.

Spencer whined. "But I'm comfortable."

Derek laughed, sitting up and helping Spencer up. "You can be comfortable later. Now we need to be social."

"Overrated," Spencer said, standing up and stretching.

Derek kissed his cheek, taking his hand and walking out to the kitchen. "Sorry, Mama. Dozed off."

"Sure," Desiree said, rolling her eyes.

Fran sighed, shaking her head and motioning toward the door.

Derek walked over, checking it before opening it up. "Baby Girl has arrived."

Penelope walked inside, grinning from ear to ear, decked out in a holiday dress. "Merry Christmas, my love," she said, kissing his cheek and motioning toward the tray in her hands. "Not to step on anyone's toes, but I couldn't help myself, I made some desserts."

Sarah walked over, taking the tray from her and holding out her hand. "Sarah, Derek's older sister."

Penelope shook her hand. "Fantastic to meet you." She peeked past her. "And you must be Desiree and," she gasped, "I finally meet the great Fran Morgan!" She rushed into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around her and hugging her.

Fran smiled, hugging her and patting her back. "Great to finally meet you too, Penelope. I've heard great things about you."

She turned to Derek. "Only great things I hope."

He put up his hands. "Nothing but the best."

She then looked at Spencer. "Derek, get some coffee in him, stat."

Spencer mock laughed, sitting at the table while Derek made him a cup of coffee.

Penelope walked into the kitchen. "I'm a helper by nature, what can I do that doesn't involve animal carcasses?"

Fran pointed to the sink. "Could you mash the potatoes that are soaking?"

"Absolutely!"

Derek walked over, handing the mug to Spencer, who quickly took a sip.

"Is JJ on her way?" Spencer asked.

Penelope nodded. "Just getting Henry ready to go and her bunch will be here soon. Hotch is bringing his son and Emily's coming too."

"Should be fun," Spencer said, turning to Derek and raising his eyebrows, at which Derek laughed.

* * *

After Derek had put the meat in the oven, there was another knock on the door. When he moved to go toward the door, Spencer put up his hands. "I've got it. It's JJ."

"The 'sister'?" Desiree asked.

"Penelope's old college roommate, and Spencer's 'big sister'," Derek corrected.

"Why the air quotes? I thought Spencer said she was practically his sister."

"You'll see."

Spencer opened the door and JJ hugged him. "Merry Christmas."

"Happy Holidays is more politically correct," he said, hugging her back.

Will stepped inside, setting Henry down and taking off his boots, the little boy clinging to his leg and hiding behind it.

JJ laughed. "Oh, now you're shy?" she teased, looking over at Derek's sisters, holding out her hand. "I'm JJ, this is my husband Will and my little guy, Henry. I'm Spence's big sister."

"Unofficially," Spencer corrected. "She didn't like me being an only child and insisted, though she threatens to un-adopt me when I annoy her."

"And I mean it too," she said, ruffling his hair before turning to Henry. "Can you at least say hi or wave?"

Henry peeked out from behind Will's leg, waving to them before holding his arms out to Spencer. "Please?"

Spencer smiled, bending down and picking him up. "Of course." He waved to everyone before walking to the living room, sitting on the couch with him and putting on cartoons.

"And I see he's a fan of his uncle," Sarah said, eyebrows raised.

"Indeed. He even dressed up as him for Halloween this year. Couldn't get him to be Superman, but was Uncle Spence like that," she said, snapping her fingers.

Derek turned to his mother. "Everything all set out here for now?" he asked, setting the kitchen timer.

She nodded, motioning toward the living room. "Go."

He walked out, giving JJ a hug and shaking Will's hand before sitting beside Spencer, kissing his cheek and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Sarah turned to JJ. "Want to see a fun little game?"

JJ raised an eyebrow, picking up a cheeto and eating it. "Sure?"

She handed the mistletoe to Desiree. "Go ahead."

Desiree walked out to the living room, standing behind Derek and Spencer, dangling the mistletoe above their heads and whistling.

Derek looked up and rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You two are children."

She shrugged, shaking it. "Are you going to disrespect the tradition?"

He sighed, turning to Spencer. "I'm sorry my sisters are eternally twelve years old."

Spencer shrugged, looking up at the mistletoe. "It happens."

Derek leaned in, resting a hand on Spencer's cheek and giving him a kiss, before pulling back and looking at her. "Happy?"

"You two are adorable, so ecstatic."

JJ laughed. "How often have you done this?"

"A few times," Sarah said, "but we're far from done. Anything to embarrass my little brother."

JJ smirked. "I know that lifestyle."

"Go easy on my Boy Wonder and my Chocolate Thunder," Penelope said, opening the fridge, "I need them non-emotionally scarred."

"Trust me, they don't mind it one bit," Desiree said, setting the mistletoe on the counter.

* * *

A short while later, there was another knock on the door and Penelope insisted she'd get it, walking over and opening it. "Hotch is here with Jack… and someone else."

JJ raised an eyebrow. "Who else?" she asked, peeking around.

Emily rolled her eyes, stepping inside and pulling off her jacket. "He offered to give me a ride," she defended.

"From your hotel room?" Penelope asked. "Or are we staying somewhere else?"

Emily scoffed. "I'm a grown woman and my whereabouts are not your concern."

Hotch tapped Jack on the shoulder. "I see Henry running around the backyard with Clooney if you want to go out there."

Jack nodded, hugging him before opening the back door and walking outside, closing it.

JJ looked at Emily with crossed arms. "Well, well…"

Emily hung her jacket up, rolling her eyes. "Really?"

"For all of those times you stayed up waiting for me in the dorm room when I was out with Will? Yes, really."

Penelope giggled, patting Hotch's arm. "Your choices are Christmas specials," she said, motioning toward the living room, "snowball fight," she added, pointing to the backyard, "or madness," she finished, pointing to the kitchen.

He laughed, keeping his jacket on. "I think I'll take my chances outside."

"Excellent choice."

Once Hotch was outside, Penelope gave Emily a look. "Emily and Hotch, sitting in a tree…"

Spencer raised an eyebrow, turning to Derek. "What's that? That thing she's singing?"

Derek laughed. "Playground rhyme. Basically saying they're smitten."

Spencer thought about it and nodded his understanding, resting his head on Derek's shoulder and watching TV.

* * *

Derek was in and out of the kitchen over the next couple of hours, checking the status of the food in the oven, as well as the side dishes. It would get to a point where one of the women in the kitchen would have to shoo him out and make him go watch TV with Spencer, which he didn't mind one bit. When the timer went off, he got up, taking the pan out of the oven and setting it on top.

"What are we having?" JJ asked, leaning over.

"Prime rib. Morgan family tradition," he said, putting in the meat thermometer and smiling to himself. "Perfect. Now to let it rest, then we can eat."

JJ raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Mind if I invite myself over next Christmas? Because that smells delicious."

Penelope wrinkled her nose. "I'll stick to my fixins."

"Of course you will," Derek told her, "and I appreciate you tolerating all of us being meat eaters."

She blew him a kiss, winking, and he laughed, picking up the plates.

"Spencer, want to come help me set the table?"

Spencer got off of the couch, walking out and picking up the silverware and glasses, setting them down at each place setting as Derek put down the plates and napkins.

"I say we make a pretty good team," Spencer said, looking over at Derek.

Derek nodded, kissing his cheek. "Definitely."

* * *

When it came time for dinner, everyone helped to set up the table with all of the sides, before Derek walked out and set the meat in the middle.

"Can someone let the outsiders know dinner is served?" Derek asked, motioning toward the backdoor.

Emily got up from her seat in the kitchen. "On it," she said, slipping on her flats and walking out to the living room, opening the backdoor.

"She just wants the chance to have some 'alone time' with Hotch," Penelope mumbled, putting serving utensils in the different foods.

Desiree looked at Penelope. "Did you set them up?"

"Indirectly, yes."

"They're cute together," Sarah told her. "Good job."

"Also had a hand in these two," she said, motioning toward Derek and Spencer. "It was the cutest thing. The first time Derek saw him? He was so speechless and his jaw was practically on the floor. Could barely get a word out, then after he left the coffee shop, demanded all of the information I had on him."

Desiree eyed her brother. "You, desperate? That has never happened before." She turned to Spencer. "You should feel special. No guy's ever made him a _complete_ idiot before."

"Enough picking on your brother," Fran said, taking her seat.

Everyone from the backyard walked inside, taking off their boots and jackets, then washing their hands, before taking their places at the table.

Fran put her hands together, looking around. "Would everyone mind if I said grace?"

JJ shook her head. "Not at all." She leaned over to Henry, putting his hands together and putting her fingers to her lips. "Derek's mom is going to talk, and we need to be quiet until she's done, okay?"

He closed his mouth, nodding and clasping his hands together.

Will smiled, ruffling his hair, before putting his hands together, looking over at Fran.

Fran bowed her head down. "Thank you for this fantastic opportunity for all of us to gather together. Thank you for giving me my family on the holiday, and thank you to my fantastic husband for watching over us every day. Thank you for our health, our happiness, and for this wonderful meal ahead of us. I'd also like to thank you for all three of my children being at a point in their life where they're truly happy, and giving them such great company. Amen."

"Amen," everyone repeated.

Derek leaned over, picking up the utensils and cutting into the meat. "Merry Christmas everyone," he said, setting a piece on Spencer's plate.

* * *

JJ leaned back on the couch. "Fran, Derek, that was absolutely delicious."

Derek gave her a thumbs up while Fran smiled, patting Clooney in front of the fireplace. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Spencer walked in, sitting next to Derek and resting his head on his shoulder. "Dishes are done."

Fran turned to him. "Spencer, you didn't have to."

He shrugged, putting his feet up on the couch. "I'm glad I could help."

Fran looked at Derek. "Keep him around. He's got manners and he's polite."

"And adorable," Sarah added.

Derek smiled, wrapping his arm around Spencer. "Trust me, I plan on it."

JJ looked over at Spencer, who leaned against Derek, smiling to himself.

* * *

Once dessert was finished, including the chocolate cream pie Fran had made especially for Spencer, the crowd started to disperse. Hotch had offered to drive Emily 'back to her hotel', which Penelope saw right through, and it earned an eyeroll from Emily. She went around, saying her goodbyes, before following Hotch out to the car.

JJ smiled. "This has been fun, but I've got a little one to get to bed," she said, picking up a very tired Henry. "It was fantastic to meet you three."

"Great to meet Spencer's not really older sister," Desiree told her, giving her a hug. "Hope we see you again sometime."

"Me too."

Will shook Derek's hand, waving to everyone in the room and offering to take Henry from JJ, putting on his jacket and walking him out to the car.

Sarah pointed after him. "Are there more of him?"

JJ shook her head. "Sorry, unfortunately he's an only child and I scooped him up."

"And Spencer?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Sorry, only child."

"Maybe Desi can find someone for you."

"No thank you."

Her sister nudged her and she smiled, pulling JJ into a hug.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too." She took her keys out of her pocket. "Spence, see you later tonight?"

He chewed on his cheek, turning to Derek. "Can I stay? I understand if you want the time with your family, but I figured I'd ask."

Derek shrugged. "I'd be happy to have you."

He turned back to JJ. "Keep an eye on my place for the next couple of days?"

She saluted him, walking outside and closing the door behind her.

* * *

Later that night, the two of them were lying on Derek's bed in their pajamas, Spencer's head rested on Derek's chest.

"I love you, Derek," Spencer said, moving closer and wrapping his arms around his waist.

Derek smiled, kissing his forehead. "I love you too. Did you have a good Christmas?"

Spencer nodded. "JJ and I exchanged gifts this morning, I got to see Henry open up some books I got him and see him light up, and got to be a part of Morgan Family Christmas. I'd say it was pretty good. What about you?"

Derek tilted his chin up, kissing him. "It was perfect."

Spencer grinned. "Good. so you don't mind having me for a couple of days?"

Derek shook his head. "Definitely not. Though I do have to warn you: I may have the day off tomorrow, but I'm back to work the day after, meaning my alarm is going to go off at an ungodly hour."

Spencer thought about it before shrugging. "Okay, I'll get up too."

Derek's eyes widened before he let out a laugh. "Then you must _really_ love me."

Spencer blushed, grinning and moving closer to him. "Well, I must."

Derek pulled up the blankets, kissing Spencer's forehead. "Good, because I really love you too."


	13. The Past

Derek's family ended up going home a couple of days later, and things were back to their version of normal. Spencer would pop in to the coffee shop a couple times a day, and they had a couple more sleepovers. Derek also had the pleasure of explaining New Year's Eve traditions to Spencer.

"So, it's about kissing?" Spencer asked.

Derek shook his head, handing him a cup of coffee before sitting across from him in the coffee shop, relaxing. "It's not just about kissing. People have New Year's Eve parties and it's tradition to stay up until midnight, watch the ball drop, and if you can, have a midnight kiss."

Spencer raised an eyebrow, confused. "So do you kiss someone who matters, or is it just a 'well, you're here, so we might as well' sort of thing?"

Derek laughed to himself. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to be kissing any strangers."

Spencer gave him a small smile. "Me either. And spending the holiday with you _could_ mean that I don't need to spend the night at JJ's party she's insisting on throwing."

"See? Spend the night with me and time away from the big sister. What do you say?"

Spencer clicked his tongue. "I say 'I think I'm ready for you to teach me about a new tradition'."

Derek grinned. "Looking forward to it. Tomorrow, I get off at 2:00. Come by my place around 3:00?"

"Want me to bring Chinese food?"

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

The following afternoon, Spencer showed up at Derek's apartment, a large brown bag in hand.

"I wasn't sure what I should get for Chinese food, so I sort of grabbed some of everything good," he explained, stepping inside and setting the bag on the table, unpacking it.

"Fine by me," Derek said, closing the door and walking over, looking through. "So, JJ's having a New Year's Party?"

"Unfortunately." He walked to the kitchen, taking out some plates and forks. "The phrase 'I already have plans' slipped out, and then that afternoon you told me we could spend it together, so technically, I wasn't a liar."

"Good thing. What were you thinking we should do tonight while we wait for midnight?" he asked, taking out some chicken fingers and putting them on his plate.

Spencer clicked his tongue. "I may have brought some movies that would make for a good marathon?"

"And what's your definition of 'good', dare I ask?"

He put up a finger, going through his bag and holding them up. "Does Marvel suffice?"

"I believe it does."

Shortly before midnight, Spencer turned to Derek.

"So the tradition is the midnight kiss, correct?"

Derek nodded. "Yes sir."

"So whoever it is can be your first kiss of the new year, and it's supposedly a symbol or a sign of good luck for the coming year?"

"...Yes?"

Spencer thought it over, furrowing his brow. "But what about your last?"

Derek looked at him, confused. "Excuse me?"

"Well, technically, shouldn't someone who matters to you be your last kiss of one year and the first kiss of the next?"

Derek shrugged slightly, grabbing the remote and switching over to the TV to watch the ball drop. "I suppose so."

Spencer moved closer, checking the timer at the bottom of the screen and tilting his head up, capturing Derek's lips with his.

Derek smirked, pulling back. "And that was…?"

"Your last kiss of this year. You're welcome for it not being your dog," he said, patting Derek's cheek.

Derek chuckled. "Thank you." He watched as the clock counted down to midnight, and when it finally stopped, he bent his head down, pressing his lips against Spencer's and smiling. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," Spencer said, grinning. "Now, do you really want me driving home at midnight, when New Year's Eve is second to the Thanksgiving holiday with the most drunk driving incidents?"

Derek shook his head. "Of course not. Go get your bag, I'm going to take Clooney for a walk."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Derek saw Spencer a lot more often than he usually did. It was quickly becoming clear to him that Spencer was definitely not handling his time away from school well at all. He would show up at the coffee shop more often than he usually did, and linger around, watching Derek work or reading a book to pass the time. When Derek would suggest watching some Doctor Who or movies at home, Spencer would say he's seen all the episodes or had no interest, then go back to reading.

Penelope walked up to Spencer's table one afternoon, setting his drink in front of him. "Should I get you an application?"

"...Excuse me?" he asked, tucking a bookmark into his page and looking up at her.

She took the seat across from him. "I've seen you in this coffee shop more than I've seen Hotch in the past week, and he runs the place. What does that tell you?"

He thought before shrugging. "Emily's in town and didn't tell you?" he suggested. "Maybe he's taking time off to be with his son?"

"Both possible outcomes," she said. "Though I think your reasoning for being here is the delicious piece of chocolate behind the counter."

He closed the book. "And so what if it is?"

She got up, patting his head. "You keep enjoying the view, I'll keep a smile on my face and stay cheery."

He gave her a thumbs up before opening up his book, going back to it.

When Spencer wasn't at the coffee shop, he was spending his time at the library. He would come back to the coffee shop with several books in his bag, before heading home to read them, and more likely than not take another trip to the library later in the day. One time when he'd come in with a stack of eight books, Derek joked that he'd read those in no time, then finish the entire library in a week. Spencer mock laughed at this, telling him he'd be staying away from the romance novels and the teenage novels with vampires or werewolves, as he couldn't quite understand that trend.

There were some days where Spencer would bring Derek lunch, either homemade or bought, and he'd spend his lunch with him. More often than not, it would result in a conversation that ended with one of them suggesting the other should stay over that night. Because of this, they were going out on dates more often and getting to know each other even better than they already did. Derek knew it had only been four months, but it already felt like he knew Spencer forever and was ready to be with him so much longer.

* * *

One afternoon while Spencer was at the library, Penelope turned to Derek.

"So how goes it?" she asked, wiping down the counter.

"How goes what?"

"You and the loverboy."

He set down the coffee pot he was cleaning, turning to her. "Why do you ask?"

She sighed, setting down her coffee pot. "Because I'm bringing Sam to the coffee shop in a couple of days to show him where I work, which means you can finally meet him?" she offered.

He smiled to himself. "Well, if I _finally_ get to meet the mysterious Sam, I suppose you can know a few details."

"And what's your definition of a 'few'?" she asked, making air quotes.

He shrugged. "Everything's going really great with us." He picked up a sleeve of cups, restocking them. "He met the family, they absolutely love him, he's spent the night a few times a week for the past month or so, we go on dates pretty often, and it's just… it's _really_ good."

"You said the same thing about that girl you dated a few years ago to 'try it out'," Penelope reminded him. "What makes this different?"

He took out some lids, clicking his tongue. "I don't know how to explain it. He's just… special."

"And by special, you mean?"

"I mean, I know it's early and all, but I see Spencer lasting a really long time."

She stilled, tapping her fingers against the counter and nodding. "I see."

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She shrugged slightly, wiping off the counter and throwing her rag in the sink, washing her hands.

"You're staying quiet?!" he leaned against the counter. "Seriously? I've known you for _years_ and never known you to stay quiet on _any_ subject, let alone my love life. Come on, out with it."

She cleared her throat, straightening up and looking over at him. "I mean, you've only been with Spencer for a few months. How do you know it's that serious?"

"...Because I do?"

She sighed. "I'm just saying. He's been serious with someone before and it didn't end well, so I wouldn't put all of your eggs in his basket."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

She licked her lips before continuing. "It's not a good subject, but his name was Julian, he was you a few summers ago, and it didn't end well, so getting too serious doesn't sit well with him. I mean, this could be different, or it could all be the same. I don't know. I just figured you should know."

Before he could ask another question, she busied herself with cleaning up around the shop, which left Derek to think about what she'd said.

* * *

When Spencer had come in for a drink a couple of hours later, Derek turned to him while Penelope made his drink. "Can I ask you something?"

Spencer shrugged. "You can ask me anything," he said, handing him his credit card.

Derek tapped it against the counter for a few seconds before swiping it. "...Who's Julian? You've never mentioned him before."

Spencer paused, then glared at Penelope, before turning to Derek. "Tonight, dinner, your place? I'll bring it and I'll explain everything."

"...Okay?" Derek said, handing him his drink.

Spencer gave Penelope another look before holding his drink up, walking out of the shop and closing the door behind him.

* * *

Later that night, Derek was sitting with Clooney when there was a knock on the door. He walked over, opening it, and Spencer pushed past him, setting bags on the table.

"I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for," he started, unpacking the bags, "so I guess I just went with what I thought you'd want."

Derek closed the door. "Hello to you too." He walked to the kitchen, sitting across from Spencer. "You okay?"

Spencer nodded slightly. "I'm fine, I'm great, I'm _fantastic_." He walked into the kitchen, taking out silverware and glasses, grabbing a bottle of wine from the fridge and setting everything on the table. "Is Penelope working tomorrow?"

Derek shook his head. "I'm working, but she has the day off, why?"

"No reason." Spencer sat back down, opening his tray and picking up his fork. "We'll talk after we eat, fair?"

"... I guess. If you don't want to, we don't have to."

Spencer shook his head. "I said we would, and I said I'd explain everything. I'll do it."

Derek looked at him, confused, before shrugging. "If you say so."

* * *

After dinner, Spencer sat on Derek's couch with a glass of wine, occasionally tapping his finger against it and sighing, thinking to himself.

"...Everything okay in here?" Derek asked, sitting beside him.

He nodded, swallowing. "Have you ever had something in your past that should just always stay there, more specifically, a some_one_?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He reached out, taking the wine glass and setting it on the table. "Does this have anything to do with what Penelope mentioned to me earlier today?"

"Yeah," Spencer put plainly, clearing his throat and setting the wine glass down. "It's about Julian."

"...You don't need to tell me," Derek assured him. "You're entitled to your past. Everyone is."

Spencer shook his head slightly. "I don't keep secrets from the people who matter to me, even if that means bringing up… _him_."

"I'm guessing by the way you said 'him' that this really didn't end well?"

"That's correct." He swallowed, pushing his hair back behind his ear. "It was a couple of years ago. I was young and I was naive when it came to relationships, well, I still am." He took a sip of his wine, setting the glass down. "He was in my Sociology class and asked me to study with him one night, which I found odd, considering we were both at the top of the class, but I did it anyway. It turned out that was just a line so he could ask me out away from the classroom environment." Spencer smiled to himself. "It was definitely weird, but I accepted."

"I guess you're just a magnet for being asked out in odd ways," Derek said, hoping to lighten the mood.

Spencer gave him a small smile. "Yeah. At first with Julian, everything was perfect. He'd set up these great dates, we got to know each other, and we just got along really well. It was a perfect relationship."

"Okay, obviously this has an unhappy ending, unless you have him on the side or something?"

Spencer cleared his throat. "No, he's not… he's gone. Well, not gone, but… not around anymore." He sighed. "We were together for about a year-"

"Come on, _about_ a year? You don't have an exact time?"

"I do, but that's not important. We were together from the start of the second semester until right before Thanksgiving and I…" he chewed on his cheek, "we… I gave him everything. It wasn't even two days later when I called him _repeatedly_ and there was no answer. I tried texting him, and there were no responses. I checked his schedule on Blackboard with Penelope's help, and he wasn't enlisted in the school anymore. A few days after that, I checked my mail, and there was a hand-written letter from him. To sum it up, he basically told me 'well, thanks for everything, but there was someone else all along, you were merely just a hobby - oh, and by the way, I'm _married_ to her, that's why everything was always at your place'. He moved halfway across the country with her and their _kid _because she had a great job offer, and I never heard from him again." He wiped his eyes, sighing, before looking back at Derek. "Can you understand it now? Why I couldn't just let you in? Why this took so long to become something? I'm so sorry I let him ruin everything for me but," he swallowed, "he really made me believe that I mattered, and that I was the only one he needed, and that I was the only one he _had_. I know you're not him, Derek, but I can't help but think that everything went so well with him and he ended up hurting me. That's why I didn't know what to do when you asked me out or how to respond after our first date."

Derek leaned over, wrapping his arms around Spencer and rubbing his back. "I'm not mad," he assured him. "And I can't blame you for your past. Stop kicking yourself."

"But-"

He shook his head. "No 'but's. There's no reason to apologize or feel bad for your past."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

Derek pulled back, sighing. "Let's just say you're not the only one with a crappy past."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I've been cheated on. I've been cheated with-"

"Seriously? Someone would cheat on you?" Spencer asked, looking at him. "But, you're you…"

Derek shrugged. "I guess 'being Derek Morgan' isn't good enough reason for someone to stay loyal. Being cheated on sucks, and being the person somebody cheats _with_ sucks just as bad, because then you realize you indirectly hurt someone else."

"Believe me, I felt that pain. Even though he probably never told his wife about me, if she ever found out, I wouldn't want her to think I knew and still did it, you know?"

Derek nodded slightly. "I feel you. I'd think the same thing."

"It's definitely the worst feeling," Spencer told him.

Derek shook his head slightly. "That does suck, but the worst part of it all is probably my childhood."

"...How so?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, you know I lost my dad when I was young, so I turned into a little shit. I was a horrible person with no real direction of where I wanted to go in life. Until he came along."

"...He?"

Derek wrung his hands together. "He was the leader of the youth center in my city. He kept me in sports, I cleaned up my act, I turned into a better kid, but unfortunately, it came at a price."

"I'm afraid I don't understand?"

Derek clicked his tongue before closing his eyes. "That man took everything from me. He's why I had trouble trusting anyone in life. And I never reported it. I never told anyone until other kids stepped forward and said it, because I was scared of what he could do to me. He gave me so much, but he made sure there was a lot in the line if I ever tried to say something."

Spencer thought it over before it dawned on him. "I'm so sorry."

"So am I," Derek said. "It took me _years_ to trust people and know if they were being genuine and sincere. I don't trust people easily. I didn't even open up to Penelope right away. It was too hard. If someone was nice to me, I assumed they wanted something or they were going to take something from me. But I made a promise to myself that I would never let him take anything from me again."

Spencer reached over, rubbing his back. "We got some bad cards, didn't we?"

Derek nodded. "That we did."

After the two of them calmed down, Spencer turned to Derek. "What brought this on?"

"Hm?"

He pushed his hair back, sighing. "Not that I didn't enjoy opening up to each other and getting to know each other better, but why did Penelope bring up Julian to you in the first place?"

Derek shrugged slightly. "The two of us were talking during a lull at work earlier and the topic of us came up. I mentioned how I saw this relationship lasting, she tensed up and got quiet, then told me that Julian had happened. No details or anything but she just said something about you two not working out, so I figured I'd ask you. Little did I know that would start the talking and therapy session from the depths of hell."

Spencer thought about it before he realized what Penelope's reasoning must be - she _knew_. JJ had to have told her about grad school, and she wanted to deter Derek from thinking too seriously about their relationship.

Derek paused, eyebrow raised. "Everything okay in the genius brain over there?"

Spencer cleared his throat, nodding. "Fine, everything's great." He pointed to Derek's bedroom. "It's late, do you mind?"

"Not at all. Warning you now though, I work tomorrow and that alarm is going off pretty early."

Spencer shrugged. "I have something to do tomorrow morning, so I'll get up with you."

Derek grinned. "Wow. Then I guess I'll have the coffee ready."

"_Probably_ a good idea."

* * *

The following morning, Spencer sat at the kitchen table while Derek was making the coffee. He yawned, stretching, before resting his head against his arms, turning it to watch Derek.

"You awake yet?" Derek asked.

Spencer shook his head slightly. "Not even close," he mumbled, eyeing the coffeemaker and sighing.

Derek smiled to himself, picking up the pot and pouring two cups, setting them on the kitchen table and pushing Spencer's over by the sugar container. "Better?"

Spencer put up his finger, adding the sugar and stirring it in before taking a sip. "Much," he said, running a hand through his hair and looking over at him. "Early shift this morning?"

"Yup, opening until 2:00 p.m. I'm sure it'll be a dull one without Penelope," he explained, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm sure you'll survive."

"We'll see," he teased. "What's in the plans for you this morning?"

Spencer shrugged. "Meeting up with a former classmate to talk, then going to the library, then possibly a stop at the coffeeshop with some lunch for my boyfriend."

"I think that sounds like a _fantastic_ day. Need a ride?"

Spencer shook his head. "I drove my car here last night so I'll just drive myself."

Derek checked the clock, sighing. "I should get going to work." He opened a drawer in his kitchen, taking out a spare key and setting it on the counter. "Lock up when you leave?"

Spencer nodded, getting up and grabbing the key. "No problem."

* * *

Derek gave him a kiss goodbye and let Clooney out one last time before he headed to work. Shortly after, Spencer packed up his things and said a goodbye to Clooney before getting into his car, starting it. He pulled up in front of his destination and parked the car, taking a deep breath before getting out, walking inside and knocking on the door repeatedly.

Penelope groaned, burying her head in her pillow. "Sam, I swear to God if you're married and that's your pissed off wife hunting you down, I'm going to kill you for depriving me of my much needed beauty rest."

"You're already beautiful and don't need it, kitten," he said, kissing the back of her head.

She sighed. "Cute, but I'll still kill you," she mumbled, getting up and pulling on her robe, slipping on her slippers and sighing as the knocking got louder. "God _damnit_. Can't a girl have a day off in peace?!" She walked to the front door, opening it. "_Can I help you?!_" she snapped, before realizing it was Spencer.

Spencer pushed past her, walking inside and crossing his arms, looking at her.

"Obviously that translated to 'come on in, I'm accepting guests right now'," she said, closing her door. "And what is this?"

"_What_ were you thinking?" he snapped. "Did you fall and hit your head, have a momentary lapse of judgment, or are you just a _complete_ imbecile who I never should've trusted?"

She closed her door, scratching her head. "It is way too early for this game so I'm just going to say 'huh'?"

He cleared his throat. "One word ought to jog your memory. _Julian_?"

"..._Oh_," she said softly, sighing and sitting on the couch.

"You had _no _right whatsoever bringing him up to Derek. My past is not something for you to advertise. I don't tell Derek about how you nearly went to jail for hacking a few years' back and that's why you didn't show up to work for a few weeks. Know why? Because it wasn't my business to tell. I don't take people's pasts and use them against them because that's _wrong_. You should know that."

She swallowed, nodding. "You're right. And I'm sorry."

"What would possess you to do that in the first place?"

She sighed. "Derek was talking about a future with you, and I don't want to see him heartbroken. So before you continue ranting and yelling and waking up my entire apartment building, I need you to answer a question for me."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

She patted the spot beside her, and Spencer sat down. "Do you see a future with Derek? Do you want to be with him and love him forever, or is he just a fling you're having before you take off next year?"

He exhaled, looking down at his lap. "With Derek, I figured it'd be one date and he'd get over whatever feelings he had for me. But then on that one date, I realized that I really, truly do love him. I want to be with him and I don't want to lose him. I never expected to feel this way about him but now that I do, I don't want to feel this way about anyone else ever again. Just him."

She reached over, rubbing his back. "Derek feels the same way, believe me, and he wants you to be happy. But you need to make your mind up and soon. You need to figure out what you want to do and keep Derek in the know so he doesn't end up blindsided and hurt in the end. If you truly love him, you need to keep him informed."

Spencer sighed, clearing his throat. "But when he was working with his houses, he told me that he had trouble letting them go, but knew he had to because someone else needs to enjoy them. What if that applies to this situation?"

She shook her head. "You are not a house, Spencer Reid. You're a genius and sometimes a major pain in my ass, but you're a human being and you mean a whole lot to Derek Morgan. He wouldn't just let you go, and that I can promise."

"If I go, I lose Derek. If I don't go, I lose the opportunity, and I don't know if I should do what I want or what I should."

She rubbed circles on his back. "Luckily, you've got some time to think about it. But just promise me you'll do your very best not to break his heart. I've put it back together plenty of times before, but I really don't think I could after this one."

He nodded slightly. "I promise I'll try my best not to break his heart."

She leaned over, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing. "I love you, kiddo. Even if you are a pain in my ass and woke me up at the asscrack of dawn on my day off."

"I'm sorry. I was just so mad that it happened. I got in the car this morning and next thing I knew, I was in front of your building."

"No harm done." She pulled back, ruffling his hair. "This is your freebie card. Do it again and I may actually murder you."

He smiled, resting his head on her shoulder. "Consider it noted."

Her bedroom door opened and when she heard footsteps, she winced. "Spencer Reid, may I introduce you to Sam the mystery man?" she said, motioning toward him.

Spencer grinned, waving to him. "At least I get to tell Derek I met him first."


	14. Valentine

One afternoon, Spencer came to take Derek out for lunch for his break, and it couldn't have happened sooner. It was a very long day for Derek and the last thing he needed on his break was to spend the entire time in the coffeeshop. Once they were settled in a booth and had placed their orders, Derek wrung his hands together.

"What's bothering you?" Spencer asked, taking a sip of his soda and eyeing him.

"Excuse me?"

Spencer motioned toward his hands. "You only do that when you're nervous."

Derek quickly stopped, tapping his hands on the table. "We've been dating for five months and you've memorized my body language?"

Spencer shrugged slightly. "Call it a gift."

Derek laughed to himself. "I guess so. I was just wondering something, I guess."

"Okay... what are you wondering? Maybe I can help."

"Have you ever celebrated Valentine's Day?" Derek asked, looking over at him.

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "From what I've observed, it's what most refer to as a 'Hallmark holiday', meaning the holiday is completely commercialized and people have lost sight of what the true holiday is meant to be. I mean, nobody rushes out to celebrate the Feast of Saint Valentine-"

"A simple 'no' would've sufficed," Derek told him, smiling.

Spencer blushed. "And by that I mean 'no, I've never celebrated Valentine's Day'. I didn't even buy those little cards for classmates or eat Valentine's candy." He shrugged. "I never saw the point of it really."

"So, not even one Valentine?"

Spencer thought it over and shook his head. "Not including the year that JJ kissed me on the cheek when I was five and told me she'd be my Valentine and beat up any boy who tried to hurt me. Nope, not a single one."

"...Seriously?"

Spencer gave him a look. "Did we not go over the 'Julian' issue not too long ago?"

"Point taken." Derek picked up one of the fries off of his plate as the waitress set it down. "What if I make you a deal?"

"...I'm listening?"

He put some ketchup on his plate, dipping his fry into it. "I took Valentine's off. Me, you, date. I'll show you how you can have a fun Valentine's day and make it so JJ isn't your only Valentine's kiss."

Spencer thought it over before nodding. "Fine, but I hope you don't disappoint."

Derek scoffed. "I won't."

When Derek went back to work, Spencer walked him inside, getting his usual afternoon coffee.

Derek handed it over, smirking. "I'll see you on Valentine's."

Spencer took it, taking a sip. "I guess you will. Don't let me down." Spencer smiled, waving to Penelope and turning around, walking out of the shop.

Penelope shook her head, walking up behind Derek and humming.

He rolled his eyes, turning to her. "'Here Comes the Bride'? Really?"

"Well, they haven't exactly written 'Here Comes the Groom' yet," she offered.

"Not happening," he told her, tying his apron in the back.

"Not happening as in 'not yet', or not happening as in 'not even in a million years'?"

He clicked his tongue, pointing to the display case. "Get back to work."

* * *

Before Valentine's Day arrived, Derek looked at Penelope. "So, what's in the plans for you and Sam for the big love day?"

"I've given the reins to Sam," she explained, wiping down the counter.

He raised an eyebrow. "Little Miss 'I love planning romantic dates' isn't making the plans? What parallel universe have I fallen into and how do I escape?"

She mock laughed. "Considering last time I cooked for him, he failed to mention his food allergies? I decided that this one is all his."

"Wait. Hold up. You _poisoned_ him?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" she defended. "He just didn't say it and of course I'm not going to ask if he's allergic to every single ingredient in my dish because that would just be weird. So, to avoid him breaking out in rashes or a possible emergency room visit, I've told him that he can plan away and surprise me this Valentine's."

He laughed to himself, shaking his head. "I can't believe you poisoned him."

She backhanded him in the arm. "It's not funny, I was mortified!"

"Sorry, sweetness."

She rolled her eyes, elbowing him. "What about you, huh? Your first Valentine's with the boy wonder. Anything big planned?"

"Yes, actually. We're going to skip town, get married, adopt a bunch of adorable babies, and live happily ever after," he told her, starting a new pot of coffee.

She scoffed. "Come on, I'm serious. Please?"

"I'm working on it, and that's the truth," he explained. "Maybe if it's good enough, Spencer will tell you all about it the next time you two hang out, which is apparently a thing now, considering he met Sam before I did."

She thought about it before shrugging. "You snooze you lose. Now, considering he's never had a Valentine's Day before, I'm sure you won't mess up too bad."

"...Thank you?"

She smirked. "Anytime, sugar."

* * *

It had taken quite some time to think about, but Derek finally thought of what he believed to be the perfect Valentine's date for the two of them. Early on Valentine's Day, he drove to Spencer's place, knocking on the front door and waiting.

It took a few minutes, but Spencer finally opened the door, eyebrows raised. "...Yes?"

Derek grinned. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up? Should I come back?"

He shook his head slightly. "Fell asleep on the couch while reading, just give me ten minutes and a cup of coffee and I'll be fine." He stepped back, holding the door open for Derek. "I was up late last night."

"Doing what?" Derek asked, stepping inside and closing the door.

Spencer trudged to the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee and putting in his sugar. "Will has to work tonight, so he and JJ did their date night last night. Unfortunately, they 'lost track of time' and I had Henry until nearly 2:00 a.m. He was asleep by 9:00, but now, he has a fun new habit of waking up screaming at midnight and not calming down."

Derek winced. "Well that sounds pleasant."

"Tell me about it," he mumbled, drinking his coffee. "What time are our plans?"

Derek checked the clock on Spencer's wall, clicking his tongue. "Whenever you're ready o'clock."

"And that's why you're the greatest person ever," Spencer told him, setting down his coffee mug and stretching. "How should I be dressing?"

"Obviously not formal," Derek said, motioning toward himself in jeans and a sweater. "And pack a bag."

Spencer gave him a thumbs up, walking to his bedroom and closing the door behind him.

Derek sat on the couch, looking through the thick books Spencer was reading and shaking his head, setting them back down. When he heard the mailman approaching, he got up, walking over and greeting him at the door, taking the mail from him and wishing him a good day. He flicked through, hoping to find a magazine or something to look through while Spencer dug through his closet, but only found a few envelopes. He set them down on the table, walking around and picking up the stacks of books on the endtable, putting them back on the shelves in his study.

Spencer stepped out, dressed in a sweater and slacks. "This okay?"

Derek looked over at him, nodding. "Perfect."

"Who was at the door?"

"Mailman," Derek explained, pointing to the stack of envelopes on the table. "Didn't know you were so popular."

He smiled nervously, checking the return addresses, and quickly walking to his room, putting them in his nightstand drawer. Before Derek could ask any questions, he turned to him. "Ready?"

Derek took his car keys out of his pocket, reaching over and grabbing Spencer's jacket, holding it out to him. "Ready."

"So, are we having more of your definition of 'fun' today?" Spencer asked, buckling his seatbelt. "I feel I should be warned in advance if I need to have 911 on speed dial."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Once. _Once_ that happens and I'll never live it down."

Spencer shook his head slightly, grinning. "No, you won't."

"I guess I deserve that," Derek said, shrugging and starting the car. "Just now that we're going to have fun, by my definition and yours, and no emergency services will be necessary."

"We'll see," Spencer teased, turning the vent toward himself and tightening his scarf.

* * *

When Derek parked at the movie theater, Spencer looked out the window, eyebrow raised.

"Of all the romantic things to do on Valentine's Day, were going to see a movie?"

Derek shook his head. "We're doing a little more of a simple Valentine's," Derek explained, unbuckling his seat belt. "But trust me when I say that you will have an amazing time and you'll love it."

"If you insist," Spencer told him, unbuckling himself and getting out, closing the door.

Derek got out, locking the car and walking around, wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulders and walking into the theater.

"Let me guess," he started, looking at the board, "we're going to see some sort of action thriller movie that you've been dying to see, and I'll spend the entire time pointing out the historical and locale inaccuracies?" Spencer guessed.

"Not quite." Derek reached in his pocket, taking out the tickets and holding them up to him. "_Instead_, we'll be seeing that documentary you wouldn't stop talking about last week."

He gasped, looking at the tickets and picking his out. "Seriously? I've been hearing about it for so long and reading up on the subject for _months-_"

Derek leaned over, capturing Spencer's lips and instantly silencing him.

Spencer immediately blushed, pulling back and smiling. "You're going to sit through a two hour documentary for me? It _must_ be love."

"You bet." Derek kissed the top of his head, leading him over to the concession stand. "Now, if we're going to sit through a movie of any sort, I've learned you need sweet things of the candy variety, though you also enjoy the company of this sweet thing," he explained, pointing to himself.

Spencer laughed softly, nudging him with his elbow. "You may be running the date, but the sweets and treats are on me." He paused. "And by that I mean I'll be paying for them. They won't _physically_ be on me."

Derek clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Dealbreaker."

He rolled his eyes slightly, reaching in his wallet and taking out his credit card. "For that, you're buying your own soda."

Derek put a hand over his chest, acting wounded, while Spencer checked the menu board.

It wasn't until ten minutes later the two of them were heading into their theater, Spencer's arms filled with assorted snacks while Derek carried their drinks. Once they stepped inside, they realized the theater was completely empty, except for the two of them.

"What, not _everybody_ wants to see this thrilling adventure?" Derek teased, motioning toward the empty seats.

Spencer shrugged. "Their loss. Do you want to pick, or…?"

"You've got the iffy eyesight. I'll leave it up to you."

He chewed on his cheeks and looked at the rows before choosing one in the middle, counting out the seats and taking the exact middle seat, sitting down and setting the different boxes of candy on the armrest while he took off his jacket, reaching in the pocket and taking out his glasses.

"What, were you a boy scout? 'Always prepared'?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "...No?" He put his glasses on, putting the case back into his pocket, sitting in his seat. "Why?"

Derek shook his head slightly. "Nevermind." He set the drinks down in the cupholders, sitting down beside Spencer and wrapping his arm around him. "So, you've been reading up on the subject, huh?"

"Quite a bit… as they mention things, I'd be happy to explain them to you, and if possible, go into further detail."

"Now that sounds interesting."

Spencer gasped. "That _actually_ didn't sound sarcastic."

"That's because sarcasm isn't my only feature."

While the movie was playing, Spencer stayed true to his word and was sure to share any facts or information that he saw fit. He also was sure to share the candy that he had bought, making sure not to eat it all. Derek learned the hard way that if Spencer has all of the snacks available to him during a movie, he will eat every last piece of it and still have room for a full meal.

As they were walking out to the car, Derek stretched, getting a few kinks out of his back.

"So what's next?"

"Hm?" Derek asked, stretching out his arms.

"I know the great romantic Derek Morgan wouldn't just take a date to a movie and call it a night, or in this case, a day, since it's still early. So, I'm asking what's next," Spencer explained, opening his door and getting into the car, grateful that Derek had used the automatic starter.

Derek grinned, putting the keys in the ignition. "Next stop is," he checked the clock on his radio, "lunch."

Spencer raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Sounds good to me." He buckled himself. "Lead the way."

* * *

Derek parked at the restaurant, walking around and opening Spencer's door.

"I can't say your mother didn't raise a romantic," he said, taking Derek's hand and getting out.

Derek closed his door. "You bet." He linked his arm with Spencer. "And I'm not going to have my date bust his butt slipping on some ice before I'm done being a romantic."

"I'm not the one with the record here," Spencer defended. "How's the shoulder?"

Derek mock laughed, walking inside the restaurant.

Once they were settled and had their drinks, Derek picked up his menu. "Let's make this interesting."

"I'm listening," Spencer said, opening his own.

"A fun little game I've just invented, called 'hey, we've been dating for nearly five months now, let's see if you can order the other person's favorite dish on the menu'."

"That's quite the title," Spencer said, raising his eyebrows and scanning the menu.

"I'm working on it," Derek explained. "All we do is point to the menu when the waitress asks what we want, say it's for the other, and then we'll see how well we know each other."

"...That sounds great," Spencer told him, much to Derek's surprise. "I think it's interesting and a definite test to see how well we know each other, or if it goes badly, how well we _think_ we know each other."

Derek grinned. "Perfect."

The waitress walked over and Derek put up a finger, looking at her. "I hope you don't mind, but we're going to do things a little bit differently."

"Oh?" she asked, taking her pen out of her apron and clicking it.

He nodded slightly. "We're surprising each other, seeing how well we know each other. We'll point to what we want to order for the other, and you can just bring it out to us, if that's okay?"

"Of course." She walked over. "What can I get you for him?"

Derek held up his menu, scanning it, before pointing to the fish and chips. "One of his favorites," he whispered, then pointing to the sides, specifically the sweet potato fries. "As are those."

She wrote it down, giving him a thumbs up and walking over to Spencer. "And you for him?"

Spencer clicked his tongue, pointing to the steak, "Medium," he whispered, "with…" he dragged his finger across the menu, landing on the baked macaroni and cheese, "this."

She nodded, writing it and taking the menus, walking away.

Derek noticed the smile on Spencer's face. "Someone's confident."

"You bet."

She came back with their meals a short while later, setting a plate down in front of Derek. "Medium cooked steak with baked macaroni and cheese," she started, before setting Spencer's plate down, "fish and chips with a side of sweet potato fries. Enjoy."

Derek gave her a smile. "We will." As she walked away, he eyed Spencer. "Okay, I'm predictable, I'll admit."

Spencer scoffed. "Understatement. You could've at least given me a challenge." He pointed at his plate. "But I'm impressed."

He shrugged slightly. "Well, I happen to know that the fish here is _amazing_, and you were saying not too long ago that you've yet to find a decent plate of fish and chips, and it's a shame because it's a great meal."

Spencer picked up his fork, taking a bite of the fish and smiling to himself. "Well, look at that, you were _definitely_ right."

"I may not be a certifiable genius, but I know a thing or two," Derek said, winking and picking up his knife, cutting into his steak.

"So," Spencer started, chewing his food and swallowing, "are you taking a break from the house fixing?"

Derek thought it over. "I don't know. I mean, I really loved that last house, and it sold for a pretty penny, and that feeling is great. But winter isn't really a time to be working on houses, especially houses that aren't well insulated and with icy rooftops."

"I can imagine," he said, picking up a sweet potato fry, "but what about once the snow melts and everything?"

"Once the snow melts and it's safe, definitely. There's actually a place I've been looking at down on Park Street. Take a drive there and I'm sure you can see how much of a piece of crap it is once you spot it instantly."

Spencer nodded. "I know which one you're talking about. You're gonna turn it around?"

"You bet."

"...How long is that going to take you?"

"I don't know. Depending on the condition inside and everything, anywhere from six months to a couple of years. But it'll be worth it."

Spencer nodded, taking a deep breath and clicking his tongue before putting some salt on his chips. "And after that?"

"I haven't really talked about it yet, but maybe in a year or so I'll start working toward a license to do it full time? I do like the coffee shop and everything, but, I don't know, maybe I'll get out of it and do what I really want to do with life. I mean, come on, I have to compete with my boyfriend racking up the degrees."

Spencer laughed softly, nodding. "I guess you do."

"What about you, huh?" Derek asked, wiping his hands. "What are you going to do with your time?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, as great as being bored out of my mind and reading every single book in the public library is? I miss school. I mean, I don't miss the deadlines and the stress, I absolutely do _not_ miss the stress, but I miss having challenges in the form of assignments and doing research and all of it. So I'll be going back to school in the fall, heck, maybe even in the summer if they offer the courses I need to finish up my degrees."

"Knew it would drive you crazy," Derek teased, smirking, "but that's good to hear. What about after that?"

Spencer took a sip of his soda. "After school I go to the coffee shop and get a drink?"

"You know what I mean. After you finish up those classes. Then what?"

He thought it over before shrugging. "I'll figure it out."

* * *

After dinner, Derek drove back to his house.

"Come on, that's it?" Spencer said. "I mean, dinner and a movie? From what I've read, that's rather typical and cliche."

Derek scoffed. "Well, thanks, but no, that isn't it. Keep your coat on, we're not going inside yet."

Spencer raised an eyebrow, confused, but buttoned up most of his coat, walking over to Derek. "Lead the way."

Derek wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "No problem."

The two of them walked to the park by Derek's house, following the shoveled pathway.

"So, how was your first official Valentine's?" Derek asked.

He chewed on his cheek. "...Better than I expected." When Derek gave him a look, he laughed nervously. "That came out wrong. What I meant to say was. Okay, as someone who doesn't exactly get dates and never joined in celebrating the holiday with anyone? I always imagined what the hype was and I wondered what it might be like for me. Never did I think someone would try so hard to make me happy and do what I wanted and it just, it feels great."

"Well, I'm glad," Derek said, leaning in and kissing him.

Spencer pulled back. "What was that?"

"Your first official 'end of Valentine's Day date' kiss," Derek explained, kissing his cheek and walking.

* * *

A short while later, Spencer looked down at his shoe. "I've got to tie my shoe or I'm going to trip. Keep walking, I'll catch up with you in a minute," he explained, sitting down on the bench and pulling his leg up.

"...I don't mind waiting."

Spencer shook his head. "It's fine, go on ahead."

Derek looked at him, confused, but when Spencer shooed him away with his hand, he put his hands up and turned around, walking down the pathway. It was less than a minute later that a snowball hit his back. He rolled his eyes, turning around and facing Spencer. "_Seriously_?"

Spencer shrugged, tossing another snowball in the air and catching it. "It seemed like the perfect opportunity and I went for it."

"You really want to start this? Because I promise I'll finish it."

Spencer eyed the snowball in his hand, thinking it over, before smiling, throwing it at him. "Let's go."

Derek shook his head. "Five minutes. Make as many snowballs as you can. Winner gets first shower back at my place. Loser gets second and has to walk Clooney."

"Sounds fair," Spencer said. "Starting?"

"_Now_," Derek told him, bending down and starting to make as many snowballs as he could.

He stood up five minutes later. "Last chance to back out, Pretty Boy. You're from Vegas. I'm from Chicago. I know a lot more about snowball fights."

"I've read a lot," Spencer defended, setting his snowballs on the bench beside him and taking out a clean pair of gloves from his pocket and tightening his scarf. "I'll be fine."

Derek grinned at him. "Bring it on."

The two of them threw snowballs back and forth for quite some time, hitting each other and the area around them. There was no clear cut 'winner' yet, and they only had one snowball left.

Spencer stepped toward him, wincing. "Come on."

"...You okay?"

He nodded slightly, hissing. "I think I slipped on some ice running from the last snowball. My ankle's probably swollen, I'll be fine."

"...Are you sure? You can barely walk."

Spencer shrugged it off. "I'll get it checked later. I won't back down from a challenge."

Derek thought about it before he sighed, setting his snowball down and walking over. "Sit down, let me see." As he was walking toward Spencer, he was hit by a snowball on the chest. "..._Seriously_?"

Spencer grinned at him. "I'm from Vegas. Bluffing is taught right after our ABCs and 123s."

"So your ankle?"

"Good as ever," Spencer said, walking over to him and pulling him into a hug. "Great game."

Derek laughed, hugging him and kissing his cheek. "Enjoy the first shower."

"Believe me, I will."

* * *

They walked back to Derek's house, Derek grabbing Spencer some fresh towels and handing them to him. "Go, take your ill-gotten victory shower. While you do that, I'll start a fire and walk Clooney, then after my shower, make us some cocoa."

"That sounds great." Spencer took the towels, smiling and adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "And _nowhere_ in the rules did you indicate that I could bluff or fake an injury."

"Obviously, next time I'll need to make _conditions_ for our impromptu snowball fight."

"Indeed." Spencer grinned, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door.

Derek smiled to himself, shaking his head, whistling for Clooney and grabbing his leash. Once he got back from the walk, he grabbed some logs and put the in the fireplace, starting a fire and cracking the doors to the fireplace open.

Spencer came out a few minutes later, brushing through his hair and tossing the brush into his bag. "Shower's all yours, and I even saved you some hot water."

Derek smirked. "Thanks." He went to his room, grabbing a pair of pajama pants. "Once I get out, how about I put on some cocoa, then we sit in front of the fire?"

"Perfect."

* * *

Derek stayed true to his word, making them hot chocolate with some whipped cream and milk, walking out to the living room and setting it on the table.

"Thanks," Spencer said, reaching out and taking a mug, using his other hand to rub Clooney's belly.

"Pleasure was all mine. It's kind of my job, Derek said, smiling at him and sitting beside him on the couch, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and kissing his cheek.

"Not for the cocoa, though that was an amazing added bonus," Spencer explained.

Then for what?"

He shrugged. "For a great first, and hopefully not last, Valentine's date. I had an amazing time and as I said, it was everything I'd expected and so much more."

"Well, I was honored to do it, and I'm happy that I could be your first Valentine."

Spencer leaned into him, resting his head against Derek's chest. "I love you."

"I love you too." Derek looked down at him. "Everything's okay, right?"

Spencer thought it over before nodding. "Today was perfect." He knew the time would come when he had to tell Derek the truth, but he didn't want that time to be now, after having such an amazing day together. Instead, he would find the right time to do it, and that would be soon.

Derek grinned. "I'm glad."

"Me too. And for all of this? Next date is on me."

"Another date planned by Spencer Reid? Wow, you must really like me, especially considering it won't involve an apology or an assignment of any sort."

Spencer nodded. "I guess I must."


	15. 6 Months

When they were approaching their six month anniversary, Derek was trying to think of a good date for them, but unfortunately, he was coming up empty. Luckily, Spencer came into the coffee shop a few days before, tapping his fingers on the counter and chewing on his cheek.

"Can I help you, nervous little bunny rabbit?" Penelope said. "Or are you looking for someone taller, darker, and handsomer?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes, I am. Sorry."

She put up a finger. "He's in the back, I'll go fetch him for you." She stepped toward the back room, poking her head in. "Special delivery of something tall, skinny, and hipster-chic."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "And that means…?"

"All good things," she assured him, walking back to the register.

Derek walked over. "Hey, the usual?" he asked, picking up a cup.

"...That depends?"

Derek looked at him, curious. "On…?"

"If it comes with a side of the barista, who possibly isn't busy on Friday so I can take him on a date, because I know he has Saturday off?" he asked.

"Friday as in our six-month anniversary Friday?" Derek asked, starting his drink.

He nodded. "Yeah."

Derek put on the whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, humming to himself, thinking it over. "I guess I could do that." He slid the drink over to him, taking his credit card. "What time?"

"About 3:00? We could go for an early dinner and then maybe a walk on the beach at sunset?"

Derek handed the credit card back to him. "A trip to the beach? What happened to Mr. 'I've never been a fan of the beach'?"

He shrugged, tucking his card back into his wallet. "Something tells me if anyone can change my mind about it, it would be you." He took a sip of his drink, smiling. "I'll pick you up Friday afternoon at your place."

Derek saluted him. "See you then."

Spencer grinned, waving and walking out.

Penelope clicked her tongue. "Well, well, well… look at you. You've turned Spencer Reid into a romantic who plans anniversary dates." She patted him on the shoulder. "Bravo, and I expect details."

He smiled, patting her hand. "We'll see."

* * *

On the afternoon of their six-month anniversary, Derek had just finished putting away his laundry when there was a knock on the door.

"You have my spare key," Derek reminded him, pulling on his jacket.

"I could use it, or you could just open the door?" Spencer suggested.

He laughed, zipping up his jacket, walking over and opening the door. "Hello, dear, how are you today?"

"That's better," Spencer told him, handing him a rose. "Happy six months."

Derek smirked. "How romantic of you." He walked to the kitchen, filling a glass with water before putting the rose inside. "Am I spending the night tonight?"

"If you choose to do so, I can't stop you. Though after the beach, we can swing by and grab your car so you can head home whenever you feel like it tomorrow."

He put up a finger. "Let me go pack my bag." He went to his room, taking a duffel bag out of the closet and packing it up with clothes.

Spencer's phone rung in his pocket and he checked it before turning down the volume, ignoring the call and stuffing it back into his pocket.

"Who was that?" Derek asked, zipping up the bag.

Spencer shrugged. "It's been calling me for a while. Um, might just be one of those telemarketers."

"Didn't know those still existed."

"Apparently so."

Derek looked at him, eyebrows raised, before putting the strap of his bag over his shoulder and taking out his phone, texting his neighbor. "Neighbor's going to stop by to check on Clooney, so for the next 24 hours or so, I'm all yours."

Spencer smiled, taking his keys out of his pocket and petting Clooney before walking outside, Derek following close behind.

* * *

After they'd gone to lunch, Spencer drove them to the beach.

"So, you're going to change your opinion on the beach for me?" Derek asked, unbuckling his seat belt.

Spencer shook his head. "Not quite. I'm merely being a good boyfriend and experiencing one of your favorite things with you. If I just so happen to like everything that happens, my opinion may be swayed." He took the keys out of the ignition, putting them into his pocket. "Shall we?"

Derek nodded. "We shall." He opened his door, getting out and walking around to open Spencer's.

Spencer smiled and shook his head, taking his hand and getting out of the car, following him onto the beach. "So, what's the point?"

Derek looked at him, confused. "The point?"

"You know, of going to the beach, or walking on it as we're doing now? I mean, all I see is sand and some snow. Is this supposed to be romantic? I can appreciate the scenery and everything, but seriously, _what_ about this is romantic?"

Derek leaned in, kissing Spencer softly, smirking as it silenced him and taking his hand, lacing their fingers. "For me? It's about being with someone who matters, hearing the ocean, and clearing my head."

"So it's tranquility?" Spencer asked, looking over at him. "The silence and the ocean noises. It's a calming experience more than anything."

"Bingo," Derek told him, squeezing his hand and walking. "And what, are you just so good that you perfectly timed our walk on the beach with sunset?"

He shrugged. "I figured it would be a good way to end the date portion of our night. We could go back to my place for movies and maybe a drink or two, but I think this right here is the right way to wrap up our day, considering it's your dream date."

"That it is." Derek sat down in the sand, motioning for Spencer to sit beside him. "Come on, let's watch the sunset."

Spencer eyed the sand. "Sand is made up of rock and mineral particles. Why would I sit on it?"

"Because it's romantic and comfortable, so long as it doesn't end up in your clothes and shoes. Now come on, you big baby."

Spencer rolled his eyes."The way to get me to participate in something is not to insult me," Spencer told him, taking off his jacket and setting it down, sitting on it.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Derek teased, wrapping an arm around him and rubbing his arm, the two of them sitting on the beach together until the sun had set.

* * *

Derek sat in Spencer's living room while Spencer was in the kitchen, looking through his fridge.

"Beer or wine?" Spencer called out to him.

"Whichever you bring me," Derek told him, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels.

"Please just put in a movie. You know how I hate tuning into movies when they've already started."

Derek put up his hands before setting the remote on the table, getting up and looking through his movies. He finally picked one up and opened it, putting it into the player and sitting on the couch. "As you wish."

"What are we watching?" Spencer asked, handing him a bottle of beer and setting his own wine glass down.

"Batman Begins. I was going to go with The Dark Knight, but then I realized it's the second movie in a trilogy, and you need to watch things in order."

"That I do, thank you." He took a seat beside Derek, pulling the blanket off of the back of the couch and putting it over himself.

"You do realize you can just turn the heat up, right?"

"...Or you can just put your arms around me and share body heat?" Spencer suggested.

Derek pressed play on the remote before wrapping an arm around Spencer, rubbing his arm and kissing the top of his head. "Better?"

"Much."

* * *

"So…" Spencer started, taking a sip of his wine before setting the glass down again, "did you like it?"

Derek motioned toward the TV. "We're only twenty minutes in, but yeah, it's a good movie."

"I meant, you know, the date. Doing your favorite things. I wanted to make our six month anniversary special and that seemed like the best way to do it."

"That depends," Derek told him, sipping his beer and putting the bottle onto a coaster.

Spencer squinted before looking up at him, confused. "...On?"

"Did your opinion of the beach change today?"

He clicked his tongue, thinking to himself. "Well, it doesn't seem as bad as I thought. Will that suffice?"

"For now." Derek tilted Spencer's chin up, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "I loved the date. It was cute and simple and I loved it."

Spencer smiled, blushing. "I'm glad."

"Though we _are_ going back to the beach when it's warmer out so you can get the full experience."

Spencer clicked his tongue, sighing. "We'll see."

Derek looked at him, curious, before shaking his head and tuning back into the movie.

* * *

Later that night, the two of them decided to turn in. Derek walked into Spencer's room after changing into his pajamas, turning off the light and climbing into bed beside him, pulling the blankets up.

Spencer sighed, looking over at him. "I'm sorry."

"...For what?"

He cleared his throat. "I don't know. A lot of things?"

"And may I ask what brought this on?"

Spencer moved closer, resting his head on Derek's chest and sighing. "I love you, Derek, I do."

"And you know I love you too, Pretty Boy."

Spencer smiled slightly, reaching up and wiping his eyes.

Derek reached over, turning on the lamp on the nightstand. "Come on, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting up.

He chewed on his lip. "I trust you, Derek. And I love you, but I'm not ready for certain levels of our relationship to happen. We've been sharing a bed for quite some time now, but I don't want you to expect me to just… be ready and give it up."

"...I never expected that?" Derek said, looking at him, confused. "What's going on?"

Spencer ran a hand over his face. "I just don't want you to wait forever for me to be ready for that level of commitment, because it takes time. I trust you, but that means a lot to me, and I need you to understand that."

"...I understand it just fine."

He exhaled. "In the past, I've done that, and someone ended up hurt, and I don't want that to happen to us. It makes everything complicated and I don't want either of us to hurt the other in the end."

Derek sighed, wrapping an arm around him. "You don't have to worry about that. Whenever you're ready, I promise you, I won't leave or hurt you or make anything complicated."

Spencer sniffed, resting his head on Derek's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Derek shook his head, rubbing his back. "Don't be. We've all got emotional baggage. But you have to know I won't hurt you. I could never."

He bit his lip, nodding slightly, before allowing Derek to lay the two of them down and calm him down.

* * *

The next morning, Derek woke up early to make Spencer breakfast. He immediately turned on the coffeepot, to be sure that would be ready to go for him, before looking through his fridge to figure out what to make. A short while later, he'd made them scrambled eggs, toast, and waffles, putting them on the kitchen table. He then poured Spencer a cup of coffee, putting in his sugar and stirring it. Walking to the bedroom, he set the mug on Spencer's nightstand, waiting for a reaction.

It was less than a minute before Spencer's head poked out from under the blanket, sniffing.

Derek laughed softly. "Oh, you are like a police dog sniffing out crack," he teased, leaning against the dresser and smirking.

Spencer glared at him, sitting up and reaching for the cup, taking a sip.

"Good morning to you too. Breakfast is waiting on the kitchen table and if I may say so myself, it looks pretty damn good."

Spencer finished off his cup of coffee, setting the mug on his nightstand and stretching. "And there's more coffee?"

"I don't have a deathwish, so yes, there's more coffee."

Spencer stood up, patting his cheek. "Good boy." He picked up the mug, walking back to the kitchen and refilling it.

* * *

After breakfast, the two of them were sitting in the living room, Spencer leaning against Derek's side. They were watching game shows and Spencer was frustratingly glaring at the screen anytime someone got a 'very simple question' by his standards wrong. Derek would shake his head, rubbing Spencer's arm, before focusing on the show again.

When one of the contestants mentioned being a grad student, Spencer tensed up.

"...You okay down there?" Derek asked, looking down at him.

Spencer cleared his throat, nodding slightly. "Fine," he said quickly, sitting up straight and stretching. "I um, I'm going to go check on something in my study. Are you going to be okay out here?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Spencer gave him a smile before getting up, walking to his study and closing the door behind him.

Derek leaned back against the couch, thinking. Spencer had been acting weird for a while now. It was just bits and pieces here and there, but now all of the pieces were coming together. It all started back when Spencer had met with his advisor a few months ago, then didn't divulge any information about the meeting. Anytime Derek asked about it, Spencer would just brush it off and say it was nothing. Shortly after, Spencer started asking questions about his houses, specifically about how he let them go after working so long and hard on them. On top of that, anytime he got his mail or checked his e-mail or even got a phone call lately, he'd be extremely secretive about it, taking it in private and leaving Derek waiting while he 'took care of it' or dismissed the phone call as a 'telemarketer'. However, after any of these happened, Spencer would be fidgety and nervous. Then of course there was the discussion they had the night before, where Spencer said that people always ended up hurt or alone in the end. He knew he was never going to hurt Spencer, so had to wonder if Spencer was planning on hurting him.

He ran a hand over his face, sighing. There was something bothering Spencer, and it had been for a while. Maybe it involved his sick mother and that's why he took everything privately, or it involve his slightly absentee father and that's why he would be upset afterward. The fact of the matter was though, he and Spencer knew everything about each other, or at least he thought they did, and if it was something like that, he thought Spencer would tell him and they'd talk about it. Whatever it was though, Derek needed to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

He walked inside the study to find Spencer going through several papers on his desk. He knocked on the doorframe and Spencer raised an eyebrow, pushing them into a pile and shoving them into a drawer, looking up at Derek.

"What's up?"

"I was about to ask you the same question."

Spencer looked at him, confused. "Excuse me?"

"Every phone call lately is a 'scammer' or a 'telemarketer'. If I'm over here, I can't get your mail for you because 'I'm not a resident'. You compulsively check your e-mail, even though you're currently out of school and not going back until at least June. It all seems kind of weird, don't you think?"

He shrugged. "If you think so."

"Then there's the same discussions we've had over and over again. You're worried about getting attached, about me hurting you, and you're being secretive. Not to mention that you're always asking questions about letting my houses go or about relationship statistics, and I guess I just don't get it."

"What don't you get?"

Derek sighed, crossing his arms and clicking his tongue. "I guess I just want to know what it is you're really afraid of. I know it's not me, and I know it's not us, and I think after all of this time, I at least deserve an explanation of _why_ you're being so quiet and secretive."

Spencer sighed, his hand still on the handle of the drawer. There were so many times he wanted to come clean to Derek and tell him the truth, but it never seemed like the right time to do so. Now seemed like as good of a time as any to finally get it all out in the open. He opened the drawer again, taking out the pile of papers and setting them on the desk, motioning toward them.

"Go ahead."

Derek raised an eyebrow, stepping forward and picking up the papers, looking through the pile. "Letters from colleges? This is what you've been hiding from me?" He eyed Spencer. "You've told me before that several schools are after you for your brains and want you to represent them. I don't get what the big deal is."

Spencer cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Read the letters." When Derek gave him a look, he sighed again. "_Please_."

Derek glanced down at the first letter, reading through, before going through a few more in the pile. "...They're offering you full-boat scholarships with room and board? That's… great."

"Look at the locations," Spencer said softly.

Derek thumbed through the pile before it dawned on him. "...You're leaving."

"No, I mean… not yet, anyway. I haven't chosen one or decided on anything yet."

He set the pile down on the desk. "Why can't you just do it here? There are plenty of colleges around here and I'm sure they'd offer you the same thing, if not better."

He stood up. "Because none of these programs are available anywhere around here, and I need to finish my coursework."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you _need_ to finish it out of state? Why do you need to finish at all?"

"Because I only have Bachelors' degrees, and I want them to be Masters'."

"What for?" he motioned toward the pile. "You don't know what you want to do with your life, Spencer. All you do is go to school and keep studying to occupy your time. What kind of future do you see in these?" He flipped through. "Mathematics, Chemistry, Engineering, Psychology, and Sociology? What the hell are you going to do with those?"

"More than you," Spencer argued.

Derek looked at him, eyes wide. "Excuse me?"

Spencer took a deep breath. "You're standing here, tearing me apart for _my_ life choices, when _you_ choose to work a menial job as a barista. It's obvious that you have bigger and better skills that you can utilize and you could do something that actually matters, but know what? You're afraid of change and used to your comfort zone. As admirable as that may be, I don't find it fair that you're picking apart my possible life choices when you never make any of your own."

Derek paused. "...What?"

"You want to insult me for not knowing what I want to do with my life, but you _do_ know and you're too scared to pursue it. I may be younger and more inexperienced with life, but that doesn't mean I won't find out what I want to do, finally do it, and be happy with myself. I don't want to leave any room in my life for second guessing, but apparently, that isn't a problem for you. You're content with mediocre."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. For the next ten minutes, their voices got louder and louder, arguing back and forth. Derek was upset with Spencer for basically saying he was content doing something he wasn't happy with, and Spencer was upset with Derek for saying he didn't know what he wanted out of life and was merely going to school for a hobby. With every single thing they argued about, their voices would get louder.

"I'm sorry that I'm trying to actually make something of myself and do something with my life."

Derek looked at him. "And I'm not? I'm just making people's coffee orders and doing absolutely nothing to contribute to society?"

Spencer groaned. "That's not what I'm saying! Jesus, Julian, you don't _listen_-" Spencer paused, his eyes going wide realizing what he'd just said. "I didn't mean-"

Derek put up his hand, shaking his head. "Why?"

"I don't know, we argued and I guess my mind just went back to that and-"

Derek shook his head again. "Why did you string me along for the last six months if you knew that you were just going to leave me high and dry in the end?"

"I tried to distance myself," Spencer defended. "I put space between us, but you forced your way back into my life."

"I didn't _force_ anything. You chose to let me in and you chose to keep dating me."

Spencer exhaled. "And maybe I shouldn't have."

Derek sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't do this."

"Do what?" Spencer asked softly.

"I can't keep arguing about this. I need to do both of us a favor and get out of here before I say something that I really don't mean."

Spencer nodded slightly. "I think that would be a smart decision."

Derek ran a hand over his scalp before walking out of the office, taking his phone off of the charger in the bedroom, tucking it into his pocket and wrapping up the charger.

Spencer walked over to him, holding out his bag and avoiding eye contact.

Derek took the bag from him, putting it over his shoulder and taking out his car keys, walking out the front door and closing it behind him. As soon as he arrived at his house, he threw his bag down and sat down on his couch, groaning. If he'd just stayed away from Spencer in the very beginning when he'd distanced himself, they wouldn't have just had a huge argument and he wouldn't be feeling this miserable.

* * *

The following morning at work, Derek was keeping to himself.

Penelope walked over, nudging him with her elbow. "So?"

He looked up at her, eyebrow raised. "So?"

"How did the big six month anniversary date go? I know that Spencer usually doesn't plan dates, but he told me all about his plans beforehand and it sounded so _romantic!_"

He thought it over before shrugging. "Fine."

"'Fine'? Mr. Non-Romantic himself plans your dream date, down to the last detail, and you just say it was 'fine'? What happened?"

"Nothing," he put plainly, wiping down the counter and walking over to the sink, washing his hands.

"'Nothing'?" she repeated, before shaking her head. "Something happened, and I want to know what's wrong with my favorite non-Sam man. Please talk to me?"

Derek cleared his throat. "Let's just say Spencer won't be stopping by for his daily coffee fix today, and tomorrow isn't looking too promising either." She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Derek sighed. "I need to go do some inventory for Hotch," he mumbled, walking to the back room and closing the door behind him.

That day at work was pretty much silent, as were the following few days.

While she was on her break one afternoon, Penelope took out her phone, calling JJ.

"Hey, Pen," she answered, "calling back to take that babysitting offer for this weekend?"

Penelope chewed on her cheek. "Not exactly, but I do accept. I actually had a question for you."

"Go for it, but can you make it quick? I need to finish up at work and then run to pick up Henry."

"Yeah, right to the point - what the _hell_ happened with Derek and Spencer? I figure you're the sister-neighbor, so you'd know better than anyone that isn't them. Derek has been super un-Derek, and I haven't seen Spencer in since the day of their date. Did they break up or something?"

"Or something," JJ said, sighing. "Listen, after I pick up Henry, we'll be at your place and I'll explain everything."

"This isn't going to be good, is it?"

"...I'll see you when you get out of work."

Penelope groaned. "See you then." She hung up, tucking her phone into her apron and going back to work.

* * *

She walked into her apartment after work, closing the door behind her.

"Aunt Penny!" Henry said, running up to her and hugging her legs.

She picked him up, kissing his cheek. "Well, hello there handsome. I happen to have some new coloring books in my bedroom, know anyone who would be interested?"

His hand shot up. "I would!"

She set him down. "On top of my dresser. Stay in there while I talk to Mommy, okay?"

He gave her a thumbs up and ran to her room.

"You spoil him way too much," JJ said, leaning back against the couch.

She shrugged. "That's one man's love I never have to worry about losing." She sat beside JJ, sighing. "Okay, spill."

JJ made sure Henry was pre-occupied before turning to Penelope, sighing. "All I can say is _wow_. From what I understand, the date went amazingly, but it all hit the fan the next morning."

"...What, did they do the deed or something?"

She shook her head, wrinkling her nose. "No, and do _not_ talk about my pseudo-brother 'doing the deed' again."

"Okay, sorry. Then what happened?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I woke up that morning to the two of them basically _screaming_ at each other, back and forth, before Derek walked out. One thing I did hear was that Spence accidentally called him 'Julian'."

Penelope winced. "Ouch, that sounds painful. Can I ask know how Spencer is?"

JJ ran a hand through her hair. "He's… a mess. Worse than he ever was after everything with Julian happened. I can't even get him to leave his place. He stays in there, doors and windows locked, curtains closed, lights off. Won't answer the phone or anything."

Penelope exhaled. "Damn. Did they break up?"

She shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Derek stormed out and they're both miserable, but I don't think they called it quits. How's he doing, anyway?"

"As un-Derek as he could possibly get. He's barely himself. He's quiet, withdrawn, barely interacts with customers, and does absolutely _nothing_ on his days off. As ridiculous as it may sound, I miss him."

"I can agree with that," JJ said, chewing on her cheek. "They're both miserable without each other."

"Then maybe we just need to put them back together?" Penelope suggested. "I mean, obviously they need each other, and they just need to work through whatever happened."

"I can _try_ to talk to Spence, but I can't promise anything."

"Ditto with Derek."

Henry ran out of her room, holding up a coloring page to JJ. "Mama, I give this to Uncle Spence?"

"And there's your 'in'," Penelope said, smiling.

"I think he'd really love it, buddy," JJ said, picking him up and kissing his cheek.

* * *

To say JJ had been unsuccessful getting through to Spencer was an extreme understatement. Penelope had asked how it went, and JJ told her that Spencer had taken the picture from Henry, thanked him, then said he was busy, sending them away. When it was Derek's day off, Penelope made it her mission to check on him. She knocked on his front door and got no answer, so decided to text him.

_I see your car in the driveway, are you home?_

It was a few minutes before she got a response.

_In the basement. Door's unlocked._

She took a deep breath before opening the door, closing it behind her and walking down to the basement. She could hear Derek grunting and raised an eyebrow. "...Derek, everything okay?"

"Come on down," he shouted.

She walked down the stairs and saw him leaning against his washing machine, opening up a Gatorade and taking a gulp. A few feet away from him was a punching bag which was very well-worn. "...This may be a dumb question, but is everything okay?"

He put his gloves back on, tightening them and looking back at the bag, walking up and punching it.

She raised her eyebrows. "That's an answer," she said, setting down her purse, walking over and trying to hold the bag in place. "Come on, Derek, talk to me."

He ignored her, repeatedly hitting it.

"Something? Anything? You haven't talked to me all week and a silent Derek Morgan is a scary Derek Morgan."

Derek shook his head slightly, exhaling, before pulling off the gloves and throwing them on top of the washer. "Spencer's leaving and didn't even have the decency to tell me anything about it. We fought, I left, the end."

Her eyes widened. "You mean he _finally_ decided?"

He looked at her, confused. "...I mean he's been getting letters from out of state schools and hiding them from me for the last three months. He finally told me that he's been lying to me and dragging me along. What do _you_ mean 'he finally decided'?"

She sighed, cursing to herself. "I mean... JJ told me about the whole 'possibly going to school out of state' thing months ago. I just assumed he talked to you or would've mentioned it."

"So you knew something about my boyfriend that you _knew_ he was hiding from me, and rather than being a good friend and telling me, you decided to wait it out? What the hell?"

"I didn't do it to hurt you," she assured him, "I just - I didn't know what to do. I mean, yes, you're my best guy friend, but I've known Spencer like _forever_. I couldn't just go ahead and blurt out this huge secret to you, because that wouldn't be fair to him."

"And _this_ is fair to me?" he asked.

"No, not exactly-"

"I think you should go," Derek told her, motioning toward the stairs.

"Come on, Derek. You can talk to me. You can trust me. Don't shut me out."

"A little late for that," he told her, holding out her purse.

She sighed, putting it over her shoulder and nodding. "I'm here, Derek," she told him, patting his arm. "I'm here for you and you _can_ confide in me, whether you want to believe it or not." She looked to Derek for a response, but when nothing happened, she patted his arm again and walking up the stairs, closing the door behind her.

Derek took a few deep breaths before shaking his head, putting his gloves back on and going back to the punching bag, hoping to work out some of his anger.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Apologies for the lateness of this chapter. My muse decided that a vacation was more important than helping me get this chapter written. Thanks to everyone for your patience and I hope to have the next chapter up soon.


	16. Matters Made Worse

**Author's Note:** I super duper apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. Real life around the holidays is hectic, and I really, truly wish that I could just have a day to sit at home, write, and finish this story so the followers don't hate me. I debated posting this chapter, but I figure if I post it, it'll give me the push I need to finish and post the next one ASAP. I hope it's not as long of a wait for the next chapter, and if it is, I apologize in advance.

* * *

Over the next week, the two of them completely avoided each other. Derek did two things: went to work, then came home. He never strayed from his new routine, and if he had to leave the house for something, such as walking Clooney or grocery shopping, he'd make it a quick trip and pray to whatever deities may be that he wouldn't run into Spencer. Because of this, he always offered to take extra shifts at the coffee shop, considering Spencer wouldn't show his face there. Anytime a co-worker wasn't able to work their shift, he immediately volunteered to take it from them, not even letting them question why he wanted it.

Anytime Penelope tried to talk to him, whether it was about Spencer or anything else, Derek would be too busy or need to do something and walk away from her before she could try again. No matter what she did, Penelope couldn't say more than two words to him without him ignoring her or distracting himself. Since he was taking on so many shifts, both morning and night, he rarely spent time away from the coffee house and was working a lot more hours than usual.

One afternoon, Hotch walked up to Derek. "Derek, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Sure thing." He stepped away from the register, following him to the back room and leaning against the wall, crossing his arms. "What's up?"

Hotch sighed. "Are you aware that in the past week, you've nearly _doubled_ your hours?"

He shrugged slightly. "I've taken a few more shifts for people who needed someone to cover, I didn't think it was a big deal."

"While I admire that you're willing to help out your fellow employees, you need to cut back on the hours."

"So long as the shift is covered, I don't see why it's a problem?"

"I appreciate your hard work, Derek, but you're going to have to switch shifts or say no."

Derek sighed, taking a deep breath and grabbing his jacket. "I'm going on my break," he mumbled, pulling it on and walking out of the back room, leaving the coffee house and closing the door behind him.

Hotch stepped out, looking at Penelope and pointing toward the door. "Is there something going on with him that I should know about?"

Penelope opened her mouth to respond before quickly shutting it, shaking her head. "It's not my place to tell."

"Not your place? You do realize you're Penelope Garcia, and gossip may as well be your middle name?"

She tapped her fingers on the counter. "While that may be true, the topic of Derek Morgan is not something I'm interested in discussing these days. Though if you'd like me to gossip, I know a certain Emily Prentiss was in town last week according to her Facebook page, but it's funny, because she didn't visit myself or JJ," she said, glancing up at Hotch.

He cleared his throat. "Back to work."

She smirked, saluting him. "No problem, captain."

* * *

Meanwhile, Spencer spent all of his time at his place. He didn't want to leave his house and risk running into Derek somewhere, or even run into Penelope and have to talk to her, knowing full well she would most likely be a messenger and tell Derek everything he said. He tried to keep busy looking through the acceptance letters, hoping to finally choose one, but they were just a reminder that he'd kept them a secret from Derek for so long and never thought to prepare himself for when Derek would find out. With all of the alone time, he got a lot of thinking done. He could've approached Derek about it months ago, telling him about it and maybe even offering to have Derek go with him. He could've found somewhere close and discussed the options with Derek. Instead, he was sitting in his living room, in his pajamas most of the time, thinking and pretty much regretting everything he'd done. He did love Derek and really wished they hadn't fought.

There were several times when JJ would attempt to check on him. At first, she would come by herself and try to get into his house to talk. That was met with an 'I'm busy' and him quickly closing the door. When she learned that wasn't the way to go, she started to use Henry. She'd tried mentioning him in conversations with Spencer, but that turned out to be a dud. It got to a point where she actually had to bring Henry with her so Spencer would invite them in and not slam the door in her face after very little talk.

JJ stepped inside, setting Henry down. "Buddy, why don't you go sit on the couch and I'll get you a drink, okay?"

Henry nodded, carefully walking over to the couch, shoving aside several books before sitting down.

"Been keeping busy?" JJ asked, turning to Spencer before walking out to the kitchen.

Spencer shrugged, looking around at the books off of their shelves, specifically off of the bookshelves that Derek had made for him. "Just doing some rearranging," he mumbled, walking over to his chair and sitting down.

"Why Uncle Spence in jammies, mommy?" Henry asked, looking over at him.

JJ grabbed a juicebox from the drawer in the fridge, walking out and putting in the straw, handing it to him. "Sometimes, adults like to stay in their jammies all day when they feel a certain way."

"I'm fine," Spencer mumbled, pulling his arms into his sleeve and sighing.

JJ raised her eyebrows, sitting next to Henry. "Well, Henry and I were going to head over to the park and go to the playground for a while, and we wanted to know if you'd join us."

"Please, Uncle Spence? We can swing. You get the big one."

Spencer smiled slightly, shaking his head. "I have a lot to do, today. Thank you though." He reached for the remote, putting on cartoons for Henry.

"Soap operas, Spence?" JJ asked.

"It's what's on," he put plainly. "Elle used to watch them when she was home during the day."

"How's she doing, anyway?"

He shrugged. "She met someone, they live up in New York near her family, and she's happy."

"Good for her. I take it you two still keep in touch?"

"Sometimes." He cleared his throat. "So, you two are going to the park?"

Henry nodded. "I wanted, and mommy said yes."

"Well, you have a good mom. Exercise is beneficial, as children these days spend at least seven and a half hours per day in front of a screen of some sort, and they need to unplug."

"What about you?" JJ asked. "Need to unplug, get out, get some fresh air?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine," he repeated.

JJ tried a few more times to get him out of the house before she ultimately gave up, telling Henry to say goodbye to his godfather and give him a hug before leaving.

What was especially hard for him was not thinking about Derek. He tried, but everything seemed to remind him of Derek in some way or another. Everything was attached to a memory of the two of them, and Spencer wished he could just ignore it all, but he couldn't. His couch reminded him of Derek's drunk not-so-accidental 'I love you', JJ mentioning the park had reminded him of when they'd had a snowball fight, his kitchen reminded him of the many mornings Derek would make him breakfast, and his study reminded him of their argument. He'd removed all of the books from the shelves Derek had made him and put them in piles around his apartment, as they had been before. He spent most of his time either reading or watching daytime television, hoping it would give him enough of a distraction to not think about Derek for a short while.

* * *

Considering the two of them were ignoring each other so well, Penelope wanted to be the one to get them to talk again, and hopefully get them back together. At work with Derek, she tried to slip Spencer into conversations without making it seem obvious, though subtlety had never been her forte.

"So," she started, tapping her fingers on the counter and eyeing Derek. "How have you been?"

He shrugged. "Fine," he put plainly, checking the clock.

"What, do you have somewhere to be?"

"Anywhere else would be great," he said, "just a couple more hours."

"What, you don't enjoy spending your time with someone as fabulous as myself?"

"It's not so much the company as the location."

"And what's wrong with the loca- _oh_," she said, realizing that this was where everything with Spencer had started. "Maybe some time off would help?" she suggested.

He shook his head slightly. "I'll just go home in a few hours, go down to my basement, and work it out."

"Does that help?"

"Does anything?" he asked.

"And you can't just talk to him? I mean, maybe it's not as bad as it seems and you two could work it out or something."

Derek took a deep breath before pulling off his apron, walking to the back room, pulling on his jacket, and walking out.

"...I'll take that as a no."

* * *

She thought that she may have better luck trying to talk to Spencer, considering they didn't see each other every day and it was less likely for him to get sick of her. One afternoon after her shift, she decided to stop by Spencer's place to see if he was up for something, whether it be leaving the house or just a conversation.

She knocked on the door a few times before she heard him moving on the other side of the door. It opened and she smiled at him. "Hi... need some company?"

He looked back at his living room, noticing the mess and sighing. "It's not a good time."

"It's as good of a time as ever to discuss the latest happenings in the Whovian world," she said, "now come on. If you're going to make me talk all things Capaldi with JJ, you're not the devout Whovian I thought you were."

He chewed on his cheek. "Ignore the mess," he mumbled, holding the door open.

"You, mess? I don't think those words go together like ever," she started, stepping inside and looking around, raising her eyebrows, "though I guess they do now. Where do you want me?"

He shrugged slightly, motioning toward the living room. "There I guess."

She walked to the living room, moving a stack of books off of the couch and onto the table, sitting down.

"What brings you here? Because you've been texting me about Capaldi after every episode, so I highly doubt you have any new material…"

"Busted," she said, clicking her tongue. "We um, have some specials coming up at the coffeehouse, if you're interested in hearing them? Because seriously, there's nobody out there who loves coffee as much as you."

"No thank you. Try again," he said, tucking his legs underneath himself in his chair.

She exhaled, eyeing him. "I'm kinda here for me, but I'm here for you too, and for Derek. I just, I think the two of you could talk about this and figure something out. You two care about each other way too much to let something so simple get between you."

"Simple?" he asked. "Me finishing school and trying to figure out what to do with my life is _simple_?"

"Okay, poor choice of wording." She thought to herself. "Well, basically, I miss you. _We_ miss you. Even though he's as stubborn as the day is long and won't talk, I know he's hurting and he needs you back."

"It's not that easy. We both said things and it's not something you can just put a band-aid on and forget about."

"So you mentioned Julian. That doesn't mean you two need to ignore each other-"

He shook his head. "That's not what I meant, and I'd appreciate if you left."

She groaned. "Come on, Spencer."

He got up and opened his door, holding it open. "Don't put yourself into a situation you don't understand and try to empathize with me. Please leave."

She picked up her purse. "Fine. But when you want to figure out what to do? I'm here." She put it over her shoulder before walking out, Spencer closing the door behind her.

* * *

The following day at work, she turned to Derek. "Fine, you win."

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She put up her hands. "You win. You're a big sad rain cloud, Spencer is a kicked little puppy, and there's nothing I can do to fix either of you. This is your problem to fix, not mine. I'm sorry, I'm done."

He tapped his fingers against the counter, nodding. "That's the smartest decision you've made to date. Congratulations."

"I admitted it. It doesn't mean I have to _like_ it," she pointed out, "and if or when you two want to try to resolve this and don't know how? I'm here." He gave her a look and she shook her head. "Nevermind, your issue, all yours."

* * *

Penelope had been beyond frustrated when they kept up ignoring each other. She knew better than to talk about one to the other, and she was pretty sure they thought she was playing messenger. Anytime Derek wasn't at work, he was now at his home gym, working out. When she would stop by Spencer's, she saw either several coffee cups in the sink or takeout cups from other coffee places in the trash. She finally came to the decision that they wouldn't fix this themselves and she needed to do _something_ to get them to interact again.

While Derek was on break one afternoon, she reached for the phone, dialing Spencer's number.

"Yes, Penelope?" he answered.

"Well, hello, Grumpypants. Is it possible that Spencer Reid is there and I could talk to him?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Hello, dearest Penelope. How can I help you today?"

"That's better! I was wondering if I could ask you an itty bitty favor?"

He groaned. "Penelope, if this involves seeing Derek, I'm not ready to-"

"It's not!" she lied. "I was just - I was going to have a Doctor Who marathon on my next day off, because they're so few and far between these days and I need something to make them better-"

"You're rambling."

"Right, sorry. I'll get to my point. I can't find my David Tennant seasons anywhere and it's bothering me and I know you have that super set, so I was wondering if you'd lower the security you have on it so I could marathon? I absolutely promise you that I will treat them like your first born child and not let anything happen to them."

"Don't you usually illegally download the things you don't have?"

"...Usually, yes. But since one of the sources ratted me out to my provider, I'm on watch and can't exactly do that without getting my speeds cut down. And if there's something this girl needs, it's her internet speed. Now come on, please?"

He exhaled. "Fine, when are you going to be off of work?"

"That's the thing. I'm busy _after_ work every day this week, and my next day off is going to be on Saturday-"

"Then I'll drop them off on Saturday?"

She winced. "Not possible. Honey, I love you, but no-makeup Penelope is not to be seen by anyone who is not sleeping with her."

"...We knew each other in college. I've seen you hungover and stuffing your underwear into your purse, in case you've forgotten."

"Yeah, that's the first _and_ the last time you'll see me that way. Could you stop by the shop for a sec and just drop it off? I really don't have the time to get over there."

He was quiet for a minute before sighing. "Is he going to be there?"

"He's on break," she pointed out. "_Please?_"

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

Before she could say anything else, she heard him hang up. She smiled to herself, hanging up the phone and hoping this plan was going to work.

* * *

She kept eyeing the door, hoping Spencer would be late coming in and Derek would make it back from break. When Derek came back and pulled off his jacket, she squealed excitedly, clapping her hands together.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hello to you too?" he said, walking behind the counter and ducking into the backroom, pulling on the apron. "To what do I owe the excitement?"

"As if I need a reason to be excited to see your amazing face?"

He shrugged. "I guess not?" he tied the apron behind his back before stepping back out to the register.

When she saw Spencer's car pull up in the parking lot, she turned to Derek. "I think we need more decaf out here. We had that group of 'I need to study, but I don't want to be up all night' students earlier who practically wiped us out. I'd get it, but it's on the tippy top shelf and these heels don't make miracles happen in the form of that much height."

He put up his hand. "Say no more, I'm on it." He patted her arm before walking to the back room, closing the door behind him.

She turned back to the door as Spencer was walking in. "You, good sir, are a godsend and I love you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Thank you?" He handed her a bag. "I've taken note of every dent and ding on the box. Don't add to them, because I've also included the links to eBay listings for a brand new set, and they're not cheap."

"Consider it noted." She tucked it underneath the register, smiling. "You are a superhero among mere mortals, thank you. I'll return it to you as soon as I finish, I promise. And it'll even come with Tardis shaped cookies if you so wish."

He shrugged. "Okay." He dug through his pocket, taking out his car keys. "I'll be seeing you."

She reached out. "Wait, don't you want a coffee or something for old time's sake?"

He swallowed, checking his watch and shaking his head. "No thanks, I should get going."

"...What about discussing the latest episode?"

He looked at her confused. "If I didn't know any better, you don't want me to leave, which is ridiculous, because you know I don't want to be here. Which could only mean-" he paused, groaning, "Penelope, you _didn't_."

"_Technically_, I didn't do anything," she noted, "you just _happen _to be here at the same time."

"Who are you talking to?" Derek asked, walking out and turning to the shelf, putting up bags of decaf.

"Just a friend."

He raised an eyebrow. "Just a friend? You have _never _used those words to describe anybody you know."

Spencer's eyes went wide and he shook his head. Before he could head for the door, she clicked her tongue. "See for yourself."

Derek turned around and saw Spencer standing there, awkwardly toying with the strap on his bag, focusing on the floor. He shook his head, looking at Penelope. "You said you were staying out of this… you said this was my problem to fix, not yours."

"I know that's what I said, but I never really promised it. And besides, you were taking entirely too long to do something about it. This isn't elementary school and you're not two kids with a crush on each other, nor did you fight on the playground. I'm done watching you be sad little puppies and I want it to be over."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "I can't believe you did this."

"Well, I can. So stop talking to me and _start_ talking to him," she said, pointing to Spencer.

"He can leave," Derek said, "he was planning on it."

Spencer bit his cheek, turning to Penelope. "This was wrong, and I can't believe you did this behind my back."

"It's not like I could do it to your faces," she defended, "all I get when I bring up the other one is a blank stare or a 'shh' or a subject change and I'm sick of it."

"It's not your problem!" Derek snapped, causing everyone in the shop to turn and look at him.

Hotch stepped out of the back. "What's going on out here?"

"Nothing," Derek said quickly, "I just- nothing. I raised my voice and I'm sorry."

Hotch looked at Penelope who motioned toward Spencer and sighed, leading Derek to the back door, lowering his voice. "I can't have you bringing your problems to work with you, Derek. You need to check your personal life at the door."

"I have been," he defended, "it's not my fault that Penelope brought my personal life to work when it's not her business what's going on!"

"Go home," Hotch put plainly. "I want you to go home, clear your head, and come back fresh tomorrow."

"I'm _fine_," he insisted, "believe me, I'm fine. I just need to keep working."

"While it may be a good distraction and I appreciate your work ethic, I can't have you making comments or snapping at a customer."

"A _customer_?! He hasn't bought a single thing from this place in nearly two weeks. If anything, he's just loitering on the property."

"That's enough," Hotch said. "_Go_."

Derek groaned, slamming open the door with his hand and grabbing his things, pulling off his apron and throwing it down. He pulled on his jacket and took out his keys, walking out and looking at Penelope. "Thanks for affecting my paycheck. Really, it's great." He walked right past Spencer and outside, closing the door behind him.

"_Thanks_," Spencer said sarcastically, "as if I needed to feel lower than I already did." He reached behind the counter, grabbing his bag and walking out, closing the door.

She winced, turning to Hotch. "Sorry."

He opened his mouth to speak but instead shook his head. "Whatever it is, no more. Get back to work, I need to find someone to cover the rest of his shift."


	17. Smoothing It Over

Penelope screwed up. In fact, she knew that she royally screwed up. On a scale of 1-10, she was pretty sure her level was at least a 50. She knew that she couldn't talk to Derek again without him rightfully blowing up at her, so she had to figure something out.

On her break one day, she sat in her car and took out her phone, calling JJ.

"Hey, Pen," JJ answered, "slow work day?"

"Sort of… but not exactly? I was just wondering if Spencer's said anything to you?"

"Oh, he had a few words about you the other day, so whatever you did, you _really_ ticked him off."

She winced. "Yeah, I kind of made a horrible, failed attempt at getting him to talk to Derek."

"And what happened to 'this is their problem to fix'?"

"I got sick of the moping and the quietness. There's no reason for it! They can talk about it and fix it but they won't because they're too damn stubborn and I'm tired of it. They're adults and they need to act like it."

JJ sighed. "Believe me, I'm with you on that one, but what can we do? We can't exactly lock them in a closet together and say they're not allowed out until they resolve their problems." She heard Penelope gasp and shook her head. "No, we're not doing that."

"Then what? Because they're thick headed and not going to do anything themselves."

JJ clicked her tongue a few times, running her fingers through her hair before it dawned on her. "Derek hates you, right?"

"More than words could express right now, I'm sure."

"And Spence is incapable of hate, no matter what happens, unless your name is 'Julian', correct?"

Penelope raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

JJ eyed the clock in her office. "Okay, give me Derek's address, I'll stop by and talk to him. Because, honestly, I need Spence back to himself again, and I want him to spend time with Henry, because Henry misses him."

"You'll talk to Derek, but what about Mr. Grumpy Gills?"

JJ smiled. "He's your issue to deal with, not mine."

Penelope tilted her head back, groaning. "_Fine_, but I can't promise anything."

"Neither can I, but it's worth a shot. Now, get back to work."

"With Derek ignoring me? This should be fun."

JJ laughed softly. "I'm sure you'll survive. Bye, Pen. I'll report back to you."

"You'd better." She hung up, texting Derek's address to JJ along with his schedule for the week, before exhaling and getting out of her car, walking back to work.

* * *

JJ had Will pick up Henry that afternoon so she could go over to Derek's place and hopefully get the two of them on the road to actually communicating again. She parked in the driveway and walked up to the front door, knocking, and jumped back slightly when she heard a dog barking on the other side.

"Clooney!" Derek snapped. "Quiet." She heard the lock click and the door opened.

"I um, I'm sorry. Sort of forgot that you, uh, had a dog... I could go?"

"He's all bark and no bite," Derek told her, leaning against the doorframe and raising an eyebrow. "Can I help you with something?"

She pointed toward his house. "Can I um, come in for a few minutes, if that's okay?"

"That depends."

"...On?" she asked.

"Were you sent here?"

She quickly shook her head. "I sent myself, actually."

He chewed on his cheek. "Let me just contain the 'beast'," he said, using air quotes and whistling for the dog, pointing to a room toward the back. He then stepped back, holding the door open for her.

She smiled slightly, stepping inside and walking toward his living room. "Nice place."

"Built it myself," he said, clearing his throat, "could I get you a drink or something?" he asked, closing the door.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I just, could we talk?"

"...Sure?" he motioned toward the couch and she sat down, setting her purse down beside her.

He walked in, sitting across from her. "How's the little man doing?"

She grinned. "He's fantastic. A few weeks ago he wanted to be a firefighter for a living but now, he's all about the superheroes. One day it's Iron Man, the next it's Spider-Man."

Derek chuckled. "Sounds like a typical kid to me."

She nodded, swallowing and wringing her hands. "How have you been lately, Derek?" she asked, looking up at him. "I know we're not exactly in the same social circles and don't talk on a regular basis, but I'm here and I'm concerned about you."

He paused, sitting up and sighing. "I appreciate it, I do. But how do I know you're not going to take whatever answer I give you and run and tell someone else?"

"Because I'm not an eight year old girl with hot gossip about who pecked whose cheek on the swingset?" she offered.

He smiled slightly. "Some days are good and others turn out to be… not so good. I tend to just get my job done, come home, workout, spend some time with the furry little goofball, and get some sleep." He shrugged. "That's about it."

"You're not alone, you know," she said softly, "or whatever else it is you're supposed to say to make someone feel better. I know you two aren't talking right now, and it's none of my business why so I won't involve myself but… I've never seen Spence this broken up before."

He looked at her, confused. "Broken up?"

She nodded, chewing on her cheek. "He's withdrawn, quiet, he won't leave his place… I have to drop off groceries for him to be sure that he's not living off of takeout. Hell, I can't even get him to open the door when I ask him to spend some time with Henry. Usually, that would be the thing to make him close the book of the hour, shut down the super brain, and put on his shoes to go outside. Now I'm lucky if I can get him to acknowledge him for a few minutes. This Spence… I've never seen before. I've seen him hurt and I've seen him upset, but this is just a whole new level."

"_Never_ seen him like this before, huh?"

She shook her head. "Never," she confirmed. "He's _never_ been this broken up about anything or anyone before." She exhaled. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him, the _real_ him." She bit down on her lip before looking across at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Okay?"

"I know that it's not my business, and I promise, this doesn't leave this conversation or the two of us. I just… are you two… did you actually _break up_, or are you just sort of separated and on a break, kind of like Ross and Rachel back in the day?"

He gave a slight smile before looking her in the eyes. "Truth?" When she nodded slightly, he sighed. "I don't know, and that sucks. I was such a dick to him, and I don't know if I can come back from that."

* * *

Meanwhile, Penelope figured that she would try her luck with Spencer again, considering of the two, he was less pissed off at her. She knew that knocking on the door would get her nowhere, so she looked around for his spare key. Ultimately, she gave up and went next door to get JJ's key from Will, after little explanation of what she was doing.

She unlocked the door and walked inside to find it a bigger mess than it had been before, if that were at all possible.

"Spencer?" she called out, setting her heels by the door.

"In here," he mumbled, putting his hand up.

She walked into the living room to find him sitting on the couch, looking through some pictures. SItting next to him, she leaned over and saw him looking at the pictures of him and Derek from Halloween. She smiled to herself. "You two were definitely the cutest couple," she said, nudging him with her elbow.

He shrugged. "I guess," he said softly, flipping through the pictures and sighing.

"...Do you miss him?" she asked cautiously.

He nodded slightly, exhaling and eyeing the pictures. "It's all my fault."

"No, sweetie, I'm sure it isn't-"

"I did everything wrong. I kept a secret from him. I lied to him. I covered up everything involving it for _months_. I never should've kept it from him. I should've just been honest from the beginning that I didn't know if I was going to be sticking around. But no, I was a fool."

"You weren't a fool," she said, rubbing his arm, "you were in love, and judging by what you're doing right now, you still kind of are."

He bit his lip. "I'm supposed to be a genius, but everything I've done has been incredibly foolish."

"Love can make you do crazy things," she said, smiling slightly and rubbing his back, "come on, do we not remember my college boyfriend and how much of a _disaster_ I was because of him?"

"Pretty sure JJ has photo evidence of all of that. Shane really did a number on you and turned you into, what was it, _The Black Queen_?"

She winced. "I thought I loved him, totally my mistake. What we had was ridiculous and mostly just about sex and knocking each other down. You and Derek… you have real, genuine, falling fast love. People wait their entire lives for that and you _have _it."

"_Had_," Spencer corrected, sighing and throwing the pictures down on the table. "I messed up so bad, I don't think I can ever make it right."

"That's not the attitude to have," she said, pulling him into a hug and rubbing his back. "You, good sir, are Spencer Reid, and giving up is not in your game plan _ever_. I refuse to believe it, and you should know better than that. Nothing is so broken beyond repair that it can't be fixed."

"The crack in the Liberty Bell for one-"

She flicked the back of his head, wrinkling her nose. "Nothing _here_ is so broken beyond repair that it can't be fixed, and I can promise you that."

"Can you also promise me that none of this will get back to Derek?"

She nodded, rubbing his back. "Of course. If you can promise me that this isn't over."

He chewed on his lip before nodding slightly. "Not for me."

She grinned, patting his back. "There's my Spencer Reid."

* * *

Finding out a way to get the two of them in the same place at the same time was harder than Penelope had thought. Her and Spencer sat on his couch for about twenty minutes before she put her hands up. "I'm sorry, I can't do this."

"...But-but you said you'd help me," he said. "You _just _said I can't do this alone and that I need help."

"Oh honey, no, trust me, you _definitely_ need my help with that. But I seriously can not think in this _mess_ and I don't know how you're living like this!" she said, getting up and grabbing a garbage bag from the kitchen before walking around, throwing things away. "For someone with OCD, you've got a funny way of showing it."

"I admit to you that I need to fix my relationship, and you're nitpicking my OCD?"

"I'm just saying," she started, setting down the bag and picking up a stack of books. "First step, putting these little guys back in their home. I don't care if Satan himself built you that bookcase. They need it."

Spencer opened his mouth to argue but nodded, getting up and picking up his own stack, walking over to the bookcase and setting them up.

It took them several trips, but they finally got all of the books back up, and once the apartment came back to its original look, they sat on the couch again, Penelope tapping her fingers against the back of it.

"...Anything?" Spencer asked. "You've won back boyfriends before. I can't win anything."

"In case you haven't noticed, none of those boyfriends were _worth_ winning back," she argued. "Derek Morgan, _he_ is worth winning back a billion times."

"Tell me about it," he mumbled, clicking his tongue.

"Well, did you pick a school yet?"

He shook his head slightly. "I can't. Every time I try to look at the forms and make a decision, it all comes back and I need to put it away."

"Okay… and you can _promise_ me you want this mopey little immature thing between the two of you to go away?"

"I wouldn't use those words… but yes. I promise."

She put up her finger, taking out her phone and calling JJ.

"Hello?"

"Hey, are you still there?" she asked.

"Who is it?" Penelope immediately put her finger up in front of Spencer's face, motioning for him to be quiet.

"No, I just left. Pen, you were right. The poor guy needs Spence back in his life. _Bad_. How did it go with Spence?"

"Still here," she said, leaning back on the couch. "Operation 'smoosh them back together' is a go, I have confirmation from Thing 2. Meet in his living room ASAP."

Spencer groaned, leaning his head back. "JJ's in on this too?"

"I said _shh_!" she snapped. "Are you in?"

"After seeing what I just did? Definitely. See you in a few."

Penelope hung up, turning to Spencer and clapping a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to fix it."

* * *

The three of them sat in Spencer's living room for the next hour, trying to figure something out. Spencer had walked out to the kitchen, pouring coffee for himself and walking back out, sitting in his chair. "Anything?"

JJ shook her head. "Nothing that isn't just shy of walking around with a sandwich board with an apology on it," she said honestly.

He sighed, sipping his coffee and looking at Penelope. "You're practically Cupid. You can't tell me you have _nothing_."

She opened her mouth to say something, then she got an idea, gasping. "Who loves me?"

"Sam," Spencer put plainly. "We all know he's madly in love with you and you're exes that turned out to be currents and you two are great together. You have a good love life, mine is horrible, can we move on?"

She shook her head. "I have an idea."

JJ raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"This is going to require some guts on your part," she said, pointing to Spencer. "No nerves, nothing. It's all on you to make this happen. I need skittish Spencer to take a backseat, because assertive, ballsy Spencer needs to take his place."

He swallowed, nodding. "I'm listening."

* * *

It wasn't until a few days later that Penelope hatched her plan. Considering his last blowout, Derek would be watching his behavior at work, so a confrontation with Spencer would have to go over well. It wasn't her smartest plan to date, but she had to make it work to put an end to what she called the second Great Depression. She'd needed to make sure that Derek would stay at the coffeeshop for his lunch break, so decided to cook for him and say it was her apology for butting into his personal life. She handed him the container with a heartfelt apology and told him that she would bring him whatever drinks he wanted the entire break. After he'd accepted it, she sent a text to Spencer with the time he would be on break, and would only hope he'd show up.

Derek took off his apron, turning to Penelope. "I think I'll start my break with some iced tea."

She nodded. "It'll be ready once your food is," she promised.

He walked into the back, hanging up his apron, and she watched out the door, hoping to see Spencer, or at least his car pulling up.

Derek came out a minute later, holding out his hand. "Tea?"

She handed him the cup. "All yours, sweetness. Now I believe the comfy corner booth is calling your name."

He looked and saw that it was empty. "You're right about that." He sipped his tea and walked over, setting his tray down and sitting down, leaning back and enjoying the time off of his feet.

"Come on, Spencer," Penelope mumbled under her breath, checking the clock on the wall.

* * *

Spencer paced beside his car in the parking lot, taking deep breaths. He had to do this. No, he _needed_ to do this. For his sake and for Derek's. This little feud, if that's what it could be called, needed to be over and they needed to get past it. The one thing stopping him, however, was his nerves. Penelope had said he needed to put the nervous Spencer away, but that was proving to be difficult. Finally, he decided to close his eyes, remembering the good times with Derek, and reminding himself that he could have more if he would just step inside that coffee shop and go through with this. That seemed to be what he needed to calm himself down, lock his car, and walk inside.

He eyed Penelope at the register and nodded at her before taking another deep breath and walking over to the booth, sliding in across from Derek and setting his bag down beside him.

"...Hi," Spencer said, chewing on his cheek and clearing his throat.

Derek looked up from his food and saw Spencer sitting there, then looked past him to eye Penelope, who put on her best shocked face and motioned toward Spencer.

He swallowed the food in his mouth. "...Hey."

Spencer licked his lips. "...How… how have you been?"

He shrugged slightly, clicking his tongue. "You?"

"Oh, um… the same I guess."

Derek nodded, going back to his food.

"So, how about the weather? I mean, it's warming up and, you know, getting nicer."

Penelope internally groaned, mere seconds from going over there and forcing the two of them to actually talk about their problems.

Spencer took another deep breath, sighing. "Derek, look at me."

Derek raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. "...Yes?"

"I'm sorry. I'm a genius, but I was an absolute fool. I shouldn't have kept all of it a secret, and you were right to be angry with me. I should've been open and honest from the beginning, but I wasn't, and I'm sorry about that. I'm not sorry that I want to get my degrees and figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you about this, considering how much we opened up to each other. I'm sorry I called you Julian, and, I'm just… I'm sorry, okay?"

Derek sighed, wiping his hands on his napkin. "If we're apologizing?" he started. "I'm sorry I was such a jackass. I could've very easily just talked to you about all of this, but I immediately went on defense and snapped at you, and that was wrong. I shouldn't have been a dick."

Spencer licked his lips. "Have you missed me?"

"Truth?"

Spencer nodded slightly. "Truth."

"Yeah," he admitted. "When your life is pretty much all about someone for a significant amount of time and then they're just not there anymore… it feels wrong."

Spencer gave him a smile. "I um… I've only read four books."

"Today?"

He shook his head. "Since that day."

Derek laughed softly. "Well, I guess it's safe to say you missed me too."

Spencer grinned, nodding. "A little bit."

Penelope reached for her phone under the counter, texting JJ.

_Five minutes and we have smiles. I repeat. We. Have. SMILES._

It was several minutes of the two of them talking before Derek brought up the problem.

"...If you really want to leave, Spencer, I can't stop you. I mean, you're right, it's your future, and you deserve to try it out however you want."

Spencer's face fell, but he nodded, agreeing.

Derek exhaled. "And, if you'd like, I'm willing to make it work between us."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I don't think I stuttered? I mean, we work well together, and the fact that you're going away to school shouldn't affect that. That is, of course, if you want us to work, of course."

Spencer quickly nodding. "I do. I just… don't know _how_. I'm still a bit new to all of this."

"Well. It could go one of two ways. I could stay here and you go there, and we'll just figure it out long distance. Or the other option is, I could move with or around you, that way you still have your space if you need it."

Spencer's eyes went wide. "Derek… I appreciate the offer, I do, but… your life is here. You live here. Clooney's here. Your job is here. Your friends are here. You can't just pack up and leave it all behind."

"Okay, first, Clooney comes with me. He doesn't belong anywhere except by my side, barking at leaves and farting up a storm. Anywhere I go, he goes. Second… what's here? I mean, my family's all back home in Chicago, you know this job doesn't mean the world to me and I could get the same job if not a better one anywhere. Hell, I can even grow a pair and start a home improvement business of some sort. As for friends? … I think all of Penelope would understand and accept the fact I'd visit her whenever I have the time."

"And what if it doesn't work out?"

Hotch walked out of the back room, looking at Penelope. "Have you seen Derek? He should've been back from his break about ten minutes ago-"

"Shh!" she said, annoyed, swatting at his arm. "Things are happening!"

"Excuse me?"

Her eyes widened when she'd realized what she'd done. "What I meant was 'Bossman, Derek's busy and it's entirely my fault, so I'll pull double duty until he's done'?"

"That sounds better. Just promise me no more scenes in the coffee shop?"

She saluted him. "Scout's honor."

He shook his head, looking over at Derek's booth before going back into the office.

"You're way too focused on the negatives here," Derek told him. "The fact of the matter is, you have your future ahead of you and you can make big things happen for yourself, and it's all up to you. I can be there right beside you, doing everything with and for you, or you can do it alone. It's in your hands."

Spencer chewed on his cheek. "And how am I supposed to make such an important decision in such a small amount of time and give you an answer right this very second?"

Derek shrugged. "You don't have to make the decision right this very second. You could make it today, tomorrow or several months from now. But whenever you do make the decision? You need to shutdown the super brain upstairs and listen to your heart. As corny as it sounds, all of the rationalizations and pro/con lists in the world won't do anything but make this more complicated than it needs to be. It's up to you, and I won't judge you no matter what you decide, and it can happen whenever you're comfortable."

Spencer leaned back in the booth, running a hand over his face and sighing. He definitely needed to go away to school, of this he was absolutely certain, but Derek going with him? His genius brain had never even _thought_ of that alternative, and he was kicking himself for it. Did he want Derek to be with him? Of course. Did he miss him? Every single day. But the thought of being together every second of everyday scared him. He was overthinking it, then he remembered what Derek had said just moments before: this wasn't a decision his brain could make. He had to shut it down and listen to what his heart wanted to do, metaphorically speaking.

He cleared his throat, sitting up. "There's only one problem."

"...And that is?"

"...I haven't picked a school yet, so I have absolutely no clue where we'll be moving."

They both turned around when a loud squeal came from behind the counter and eyed Penelope, who put up her hands and mouthed a 'sorry' to the whole place before busying herself with something else.

Derek smiled. "Seriously?"

"Well, I guess she's the one person who wanted this to work more than we did," he offered, shrugging.

Derek shook his head. "No, I meant 'seriously, your genius brain hasn't chosen a school yet?'"

"I've looked at a few, but no, I haven't made a decision."

Derek motioned toward his bag. "Show me where you're choosing from."

"Excuse me?"

Derek gave him a look. "I know you far too well to think that you're not carrying it around with you at all times. Now come on."

Spencer opened up his bag, taking out several packets, brochures, and pamphlets from different schools. "These are what I would call 'the top 5'."

"And why's that?" Derek asked, picking up an information packet and reading through it.

"These five schools are offering me full-boat scholarships, but they're also highly rated, have a large success rate for their students after graduation, and the best academic programs out there."

Derek nodded slightly. "So basically… we're looking for the best fresh start?" He eyed Spencer. "Away from the drama of exes, bad mistakes, and stupid decisions?"

"Precisely."

He eyed all of the information before turning to Spencer. "We could take this back to your place, use your huge corkboard, put it all out there, and have this figured out in no time?"

Spencer grinned, putting it all back into his bag. "I'll see you there when you get out of work?"

"You bet."

Spencer leaned over, kissing Derek's cheek and waving to Penelope before heading out.

Derek smiled to himself, shaking his head and grabbing his things off of the table. He got up, walking to the back room and washing his hands. He then grabbed his apron, putting it back on and tying it. Stepping out to the register, he crossed his arms, looking at Penelope.

"You know, you suck at acting like you had nothing to do with something."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

He rolled his eyes. "Uh huh."

She bit her lip. "...So… did it work?"

He smiled, nudging her with his elbow. "Thank you."

"You're oh so very welcome."


	18. Solving the Problem

When he'd gotten out of work that afternoon, Derek went over to Spencer's. He walked up to the front door, knocking.

"It's open," Spencer called out.

He raised an eyebrow, opening the door and stepping inside. "Where are you?"

"My second home."

Derek looked in the kitchen. "You're not at the coffeemaker."

Spencer mock laughed. "Fine, my _third_ home."

Derek smiled, closing the door and taking off his jacket, hanging it by the door before walking to the study, leaning against the doorway. "This is a familiar sight."

Spencer had picked up some tape and divided the corkboard into five different sections, with the name of each school tacked to the top of each one. "And what is that sight? Me studying?"

"You could say that." Derek eyed the board. "So, one of these bad boys, huh?"

He nodded. "One of these five schools is going to be my new home."

"_Our_," Derek corrected.

"I know you probably just said that to appease Penelope. You don't _need_ to do it-"

He shook his head. "I didn't do it to appease anybody but myself. I have no problem getting a fresh start somewhere else. I know I don't have the most impressive resume, but with a face like this," he motioned toward himself, "come on, it's gotta be pretty easy to start over."

"I see our time away from each other has made you no less arrogant," Spencer teased, waiting for some papers to print before tacking them up on the board.

"Never stop what you're good at," Derek said, grinning at him. "Now, what are you putting up?"

"Things to keep you occupied in the locales. I mean, I'll obviously be pre-occupied with school and other things involving school, so I won't need anything to keep me busy. But you, I don't want you to be bored. There's sports teams, museums, different activities, job opportunities, the distances from here to there and from there to Chicago…"

Derek checked his watch. "How long was I at work?"

"Just a few hours. But," Spencer pointed to his forehead, "genius."

Derek laughed to himself. "Apparently so."

Spencer dragged a chair over, patting it. "Join the club."

Derek sat down, leaning back in the chair and eyeing the board. "So, have you come any closer to narrowing it down?"

He shook his head. "Not even a little bit."

Derek clicked his tongue. "I think we're going to need some coffee for this."

Spencer put up a finger. "Considering you've made coffee for the last eight hours, I'm on it. While I'm gone? Start looking," he said, pointing to the board and walking out.

* * *

Derek leaned forward on his elbows, reading everything in each of the columns. Spencer had gone out of his way to look up things that would interest him, and it seemed like everything about sports teams and arenas was taken from a Wikipedia page.

Spencer walked back in a minute later with a carafe in one hand and two coffee mugs in the other.

"What, no sugar?" Derek asked.

He set the mugs and carafe on the desk, reaching in his pocket and taking out several sugar packets. "Any other ridiculous questions?"

Derek shook his head. "Two sugars, please."

Spencer poured him a cup of coffee, stirring in the sugar. "So, what do you think?" he asked, motioning toward the board. "Anything jumping out at you?"

He shrugged, taking the mug from him. "One's close to Chicago, one's close to here, one's practically equidistant to the two, one's close-ish to here, and the final one is pretty far from both. That's about all I've gathered aside from the fact you're a Wikipedia copier."

"It's not in an academic sense, so I didn't do anything wrong," Spencer pointed out, pouring his own coffee and sitting beside him, tucking his feet underneath himself and leaning back. "This is going to take us a while, isn't it?"

Derek nodded. "Afraid so. And when do these schools want to hear back?"

"...As soon as possible."

He exhaled. "Good thing you just made a fresh pot of coffee."

* * *

They spent a good amount of time just staring at their choices before Derek spoked up.

"Okay, what about this one?" he asked, pointing.

Spencer clicked his tongue. "Great academic programs and it's a good school…"

"But?" Derek asked.

Spencer sighed. "But I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair. "They're all fantastic colleges, but just up and leaving and choosing one of them is hard."

Derek leaned over, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring himself another cup. "Okay, so obviously the positives aren't working here. What about the negatives?"

He groaned, resting his chin in his hand. "I don't know. I've been so focused on trying to find the positives about each of them that I never bothered to look into the negatives."

"Have you tried checking Rate My Professor to see what other students think of the educators at the school?"

He shook his head. "Never heard of it."

"What about college reviews given _by_ the students?"

"...I wasn't aware they did that."

"Uh huh… and what about googling the schools?"

Spencer clicked his tongue. "I did that, and that's how I got all of the information up there."

Derek walked over to the desk, sitting down in front of the computer. "Come on, genius. It's time for me to teach you a few things."

"And this time won't result in an injury on your part?"

"...Probably not."

Spencer pulled his chair over, sitting beside him. "Then I'm ready to learn."

"First thing's first? College reviews. There are plenty of websites that allow students, and anyone really, to go on and speak their mind about the way the college works and talk about their experiences."

"Seriously?"

He nodded, pointing to the screen. "You just need to type in the name and read the reviews. There's going to be plenty of them, so it's a good thing one of us has a super fast reading speed," he told him, printing off the reviews and picking up the papers, handing them to Spencer.

Spencer counted the pages before reading. "Interesting."

Derek opened up a website. "Now, do you know who your professors are at these schools?"

"Well, on the site, it mentions which professors work in the Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering departments, specifically the graduate programs."

He nodded, opening them up in new tabs. "So are you going to be a chemist/engineer/mathematician?"

He shrugged slightly, reading the reviews. "If the need arises for one, I can fill the position. Those are the three degrees I'm most passionate about and would like to expand on." He got up, pinning the reviews to the board and sitting back down. "So there are students who actually give their professors ratings? Aren't the end of semester reviews enough?"

"No, because on these sites, they can be brutally honest. The reviews are just a scale of 1-5 and a little blurb. Here you can say _anything_."

"...And do professors know about this?"

"Some do. Others don't. The point is, you get reviews not based on their credentials, but on _how_ they teach from people who _actually_ learned from them."

Spencer nodded. "Print away."

"And while you read over those, I'll be doing my own research."

* * *

As Spencer was reading, Derek was clicking around. "What about your dad?"

Spencer shrugged. "...What about him?"

"Does he know you're moving and won't need this place, then you'll possibly need another?"

"Well, considering I'd rather eat dirt than call him up and have a conversation with him as if he never abandoned my mother and I, I'm making it a last minute letter sort of thing."

"Can't say I blame you for that." He clicked his tongue. "Is there a reason you researched coffee shops and construction companies as my job opportunities?"

"I just figured you'd either like to continue with the known, or you'd finally give yourself the push to pursue what you'd really like to do. Was I wrong?"

Derek shook his head. "Not at all. How go the reviews?"

"Well," he started, eyebrows raised, "one professor has been called a 'jackass', 'asshat', and 'douchebag' all in one review. I think I may avoid his classes."

He chuckled. "Probably a good call."

* * *

They worked at it for a couple of hours before there was a knock on the door.

Derek eyed him. "Are you expecting company?"

Spencer shook his head. "My guess is it's a nosy sister or your co-worker wanting to snoop and figure out how we're doing."

Derek minimized the window. "So long as whoever it is brought some dinner so we don't need to order takeout, they can be as nosy as they want."

Spencer laughed, getting up. "That's probably how they know they'll make it through the door. Can you step away from that right now?" he asked, motioning toward the computer.

He nodded, standing up and stretching. "If I read another paragraph my eyes may start bleeding. I could definitely get away."

There was another knock at the door and Spencer groaned. "Now I know it's JJ. If I don't answer within two minutes, she knocks again. Then again. And again." He walked over, opening the door. "Yes?"

JJ held up a bag. "Will's got Henry out for the night at a hockey game and I didn't want to be alone for dinner. Chinese?"

"Please," Derek said, holding the door open.

JJ raised her eyebrows. "Well, somebody had a good day," she said, stepping inside and setting the bag on the table before going into the cabinets and grabbing some plates. "Would anyone care to explain?"

"...As if Penelope didn't call you as soon as her shift was over and tell you what happened?" Spencer answered, closing the door.

She grinned. "All I heard was happy squealing and clapping and the names 'Derek' and 'Spencer'. Would anyone care to explain?"

Spencer walked over, looking through the boxes and making himself a plate. "Over dinner, gladly."

Derek set glasses on the table, along with some wine from Spencer's fridge. He held out the bottle to Spencer, who nodded, and poured two glasses.

"Celebrating with wine?" JJ pushed her glass over. "Count me in."

* * *

"So what's going on?" JJ asked, setting down her fork and taking a sip of her wine.

Spencer shrugged. "We're having dinner with some wine? More specifically, Chinese food."

Derek smirked, taking a bite of his rice and shaking his head.

"Not what I meant and you know it. A few days ago, I couldn't get you to even say Derek's name without anger or angst, and now not only are you talking to him, but he's over here again."

"And the whole coffee shop thing was _your_ idea."

"Penelope's," she corrected. "I was at work and I had no part in it."

Derek smiled. "Don't worry, I knew there was something going on. Penelope was far too giddy and Spencer coming in was far too much of a coincidence."

"Subtlety has never been her thing…"

"No, _really_?" Spencer said, shaking his head and taking a bite of his food.

She grinned. "So is everything _good_ here?"

Spencer eyed Derek, swallowing his food and looking at JJ. "Everything's fine."

"Really? No more moping, no more sadness?"

"Definitely not."

She pointed to Derek. "I was actually talking to him."

Spencer raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "Oh?"

He motioned toward JJ. "She showed up at my house, I'm guessing before hatching the coffee shop plan, and we had a pretty good conversation."

"...About me?"

"Maybe," JJ said, reaching over and grabbing more rice out of the container. "He's what _made_ us hatch the plan."

Spencer turned to Derek. "...Thanks, I guess?"

"You're welcome." Derek eyed JJ. "And thank you."

She put up her hands. "Trust me, I'm glad I did it."

* * *

After they'd finished dinner, Derek did cleanup while JJ had pulled Spencer in the living room to talk to him.

"Everything's okay?"

Spencer sat on the couch, nodding and grinning. "Everything's great. We talked it out at the coffee shop, he came here once his shift was over, and he's been here ever since."

She sat across from him, running her fingers through her hair. "So what's going to happen?"

"We're going to figure that out," he said, shrugging.

"And you're okay with that?"

"Very okay with that. Unless, of course, you want me to go back to the state I was in a few days ago."

She scoffed. "Definitely not."

Derek walked in, looking at Spencer. "Should we get back to work?" he asked, motioning toward the room. "Or are we done?"

"Back to work?" JJ asked. "In the room…" her eyes widened. "Oh _lord_, I didn't interrupt something, did I?! If I did, I am so incredibly sorry and I'll just be done right now."

Spencer shook his head. "Nothing like that. We're just having conversations and trying to make life decisions."

"Well, that sounds like fun," she said, stretching. "Should I leave you two to your decision making?"

"If you'd like?" Spencer offered. "We'll just be in the office looking at websites and printing out enough paper to make up a poor tree that was chopped down for it."

Derek smiled, grabbing JJ's jacket from the hook. "I'll walk you out."

She leaned over, hugging Spencer and ruffling his hair. "Stay happy, Spence."

"I'm planning on it."

She grinned, patting his shoulder and getting up, taking her jacket from Derek and putting it on.

Derek walked outside with her, closing the door and leaning against it. "Thank you."

"As much as you needed to be happy for you? I needed you to be happy for him. Henry's going to be thrilled that his Uncle Spence is going to want to spend time with him again."

"Happy to help. Feel free to call me up if the little man wants to use my big yard for playing some time."

"I'll hold you to it." She gave him a hug, pulling back and smiling at him. "Take care of him."

"I promise."

* * *

Derek walked back inside to find that Spencer had gone back into the study to try to figure everything out. He went to the room and Spencer was once again sitting in his chair, his legs crossed underneath himself, and staring at the board.

"Do you think the answer's going to pop up if you stare at it long enough?" Derek asked, crossing his arms.

Spencer jumped slightly before shaking his head. "No, I'm just hoping it works this way."

Derek clicked his tongue. "You know, we've worried about you and we've worried about me, but there's someone else we need to consider in this situation too."

Spencer looked at him, confused. "Excuse me?"

"Well, there's you. There's me. And Clooney makes three. We'll need a place where he's going to be happy too."

Spencer's eyes widened. "I didn't even - I hadn't considered him coming. I mean, I know he's yours and he would be coming, but I didn't consider him as, you know, something to consider. I'm so sorry."

"No time like the present," Derek said, sitting at the computer again and opening some search engines. "Dog friendly campuses and areas with nearby dog parks… coming… now," he said, hitting print and waiting for the pages to come out. Once they were printed, he handed the sheets to Spencer. "You're welcome."

Spencer smiled, grabbing some push pins and putting the papers up on the board. "Is that the last of the information we need to solve this problem?"

"I think so," Derek said, rolling his chair back over beside Spencer's. "And now we think."

Spencer nodded, exhaling. "And now we think."

* * *

Derek wasn't sure how long he was staring at all of it before he closed his eyes, shaking his head and burying it in his hands. "Damn."

Spencer nodded, rubbing his eyes. "I agree."

"They all seem great," Derek started, pointing his hand toward the board. "They're good schools and every place seems like a great place to start a new life. How do we choose one?"

He shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Each one has its own pros and cons."

Derek eyed him. "This is all about _your_ college experience, so why aren't you the one making the final decision and telling me to deal with it?"

Spencer shook his head. "I would, but I'm not the only one up and leaving my life behind to start over. It involves both of us and we both need to be involved in this decision. So you get to enjoy suffering too."

Derek mock laughed, leaning back in his chair and exhaling. "Great… which one is sticking out to you?"

Spencer clicked his tongue, eyeing the board and getting up, pointing to one of the sections. "Good academic programs, it's relatively close to here, and it seems like a good place to start over."

Derek motioned toward it. "Then there we go."

Spencer shook his head again. "No, there we don't go, because your body language is telling me that you were thinking of one of the other places and you're settling to try to please me, but that's not what I want. I want both of us to be happy. So come on. Out with it."

He sighed, standing on the other side of the board. "They're all good choices for me to start over, and obviously, they're all good for you because they all want you. You have opportunities no matter where we go. But this one?" He pointed. "This seems to be the best place for me to get a fresh start. Again, though, it's all on you."

Spencer stood back, taking it all in and thinking to himself. He rubbed his temples before leaning against the wall, clicking his tongue. "We'll go there."

Derek pointed where Spencer had. "Here?"

He shook his head, motioning to the part Derek had chosen. "Here. I can go to school anywhere, but I need you to be able to have a good, fresh start and be happy where we are. I've heard horror stories of old college classmates who moved in with significant others, thinking everything would be fine, and then the relationship just falters because one of them didn't have a plan and ends up being miserable."

Derek clicked his tongue. "Well, I guess that's where we'll be calling home sweet home."

"At least we will be in nearly a year."

Derek eyed him. "_Nearly_?"

"Well, I'd start in the winter semester, so it'd be nine months. Approximately 306 days."

Derek grinned. "There he is."

Spencer motioned toward the door. "Come on, this has been long and daunting. I think we've earned ice cream sundaes."

"Now you're speaking my language," Derek said, smirking and patting his back, following him to the kitchen.

* * *

Spencer scooped the ice cream into a couple of bowls before going into his fridge, taking out a can of whipped cream and grabbing sprinkles from the cabinet, putting them in the bowls.

"Genius, those wheels are turning. Want to tell me what you're thinking?" Derek asked, sticking his finger into one of the sundaes and scooping up some whipped cream, licking it.

"Well, first and foremost, that's _your_ sundae," he said, putting in a spoon and sliding it over to him.

"Second and secondmost?" Derek asked, picking up the spoon and taking a bite.

"Secondmost isn't really a word?"

Derek shook his head. "That's not it and we both know it."

Spencer tapped his fingers against the side of his bowl before sighing. "I'm just… concerned."

"...About?"

He pushed the spoon around in his bowl. "I'm wondering how we're going to handle living together full-time. I know that we've spent plenty of time together in the past, but this is going to be spending time together _all_ the time - morning, afternoon, and night. It's going to be a lot to handle."

"I think we're capable."

"As do I but… we just had an argument and didn't talk to each other for weeks. How are we going to handle arguments if we literally have no escape from each other?"

Derek set his bowl in the sink. "Well... this is going to sound extreme I'm sure… but we could always _talk_ about our problems and work it out?"

Spencer smiled slightly. "Well, that _would_ make things simpler."

"I'm sure. And besides, we have 306 days to figure it out."


	19. Moving On

**Author's Note:** Apologies for how long this update took - for some reason, it proved to be really difficult, but I hope it was worth the wait. After this chapter, there's going to be one last chapter/epilogue, then I'm going to wrap up the storyline! As attached as I am to it, I can't keep it going forever.

* * *

Shortly after deciding where they would go, the two of them were taking the steps in their relationship to be comfortable with the move. Rather than their usual couple days a week at one or the other's apartment, they decided to swap off weeks to be sure that this move was actually a good idea. For the most part, it was working for them - except when it was Derek's day off and Clooney insisted on them being up bright and early to acknowledge his existence.

Before Spencer fully committed to choosing that college, Derek decided it would be good for the two of them to take a weekend trip up for him to check out the campus, look into the academic programs firsthand and not just base his opinion on research he did and through brochures. He spent the entire tour asking the guide questions and talking to other students about their experiences, noting that while he read reviews online, he wanted to hear from people who currently attend the school.

While he was talking to students and professors, Derek told him he was off to check out the city. What Spencer didn't know was that he had set up appointments to look at a few fixer-upper houses in the area. There was one house in particular he knew had major potential and couldn't wait to get started on. When he got a text message from Spencer wondering what was taking so long, he texted him back that he thought he'd want more time on the campus to check it out and he'd be back to get him in a few minutes.

They stopped at a restaurant nearby for lunch, and Spencer was extremely excited to discuss his campus tour.

"The classroom sizes stay small for individualized attention from the professors, their office hours are extremely convenient for students to come by and discuss assignments, the parking is right near all of the academic buildings-"

"I get that you're happy, but your food's getting cold," Derek told him, pointing his fork at Spencer's plate.

Spencer blushed, mumbling an apology and picking up his own fork, eating.

"So, it's a really good school?"

"The best," Spencer said, swallowing his food. "What did you do while I was falling in love with a campus?"

Derek stretched slightly. "Well, I checked out the housing area, looked around at the local parks for places to walk Clooney, then went on a tour of my own."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He reached into his pocket, taking out a key and tossing it on the table.

Spencer picked it up, inspecting it. "Of a key factory? That's rather anticlimactic. Plus I didn't see anything about a key factory in the area."

Derek mock laughed. "That's actually the key to my next project." He took out his phone, showing the picture to Spencer. "I think while you're taking classes this summer, I'll use my vacation time to fix it up and have it inhabitable by winter."

Spencer stared at the key in his hand before looking back at Derek. "...We have a _house?_"

"Well, as of right now, we have a three bedroom, two bath work in progress with a big backyard. But come winter? We'll have a house."

"And how do you know this'll work out?" he asked, sliding the key back to him.

"Because the only problem you've had living with me so far is Clooney wanting to go for a walk early in the morning, where you call him an, and I quote, 'dick dog'."

"I do love Clooney. I just don't love him _as_ much before my morning coffee."

"Oh believe me, I've noticed. I take it you weren't a fan of the housing area?"

Spencer quickly shook his head. "I mean, they were okay, but there's so many forms to fill out to take their housing offer, and even worse, we couldn't room together considering a) you're not a student, and b) we're not married."

"The not living together part would suck," Derek said, winking at him. "And what about Daddy Fearest?"

Spencer shrugged. "He'll find out when I feel it's the right time."

"With as little notice as possible, I'm assuming?"

"...Sounds about right to me."

* * *

After they'd arrived back home, Derek drove Spencer to his place.

"Now, you're _sure_ it's the right choice?" he asked, parking the car and popping open the trunk, getting out. "If you want to go somewhere else, you can."

Spencer nodded, following him. "It's a great school in an amazing area, it has everything that I want to study, the locale is perfect for you to find a job, whatever you may choose to do, and I definitely think Clooney will be happy with the backyard on the place you picked."

Derek grinned, taking out Spencer's bag and handing it to him. "You really covered all of the bases."

Spencer opened his mouth to respond, but stopped, putting up a finger. "Except one."

He raised an eyebrow. "_Oh_?"

He clicked his tongue, looking everywhere but directly at Derek. "I may have written to my mother about the situation, and she _may_ be less than pleased that I'm moving in with somebody she's never met."

"...Okay?"

Spencer dug his house keys out of his pocket as Derek closed the trunk. "And you may be flying out to Vegas with me in a couple of weeks to meet her because according to her, if she doesn't approve, it's not happening," he said in one breath, smiling at him nervously before walking up to his front door, unlocking it.

Derek followed him. "...I'm sorry, what?"

He stepped inside, holding the door open. "Was that _not_ the right way to bring it up?" he asked, walking to his bedroom and unpacking his bag.

Derek closed the front door. "It's a perfectly fine way to bring it up if you want to just dump it in my lap and leave it at that. Your mother, who has threatened doctors with bodily harm if they go near you, wants to meet me?"

"She's protective and wanted to ensure my safety," Spencer said, shrugging and tossing his bag into his closet. "So should I tell her it's a no?"

Derek paused before taking a deep breath, nodding. "You've met my mother, so it's only fair I go out to Vegas and meet yours. When do we leave?"

"A week from Friday."

"...And how do I avoid being threatened with bodily harm and get her to approve of us, and more importantly, get her to approve of me?"

Spencer clicked his tongue. "Just don't imply anything she'd be uncomfortable with and she won't threaten you. And as for her approval… when I figure that one out, I'll let you know. Coming from her womb worked for me, but considering nobody else can do that, it's a mystery."

He exhaled, running a hand over his scalp. "This should be fun."

"Don't worry, I'll prepare you for the worst. Then when she's having a good day, it won't be as bad."

Derek scoffed. "Thanks."

* * *

Over the next week and a half, Spencer did everything he could to prepare Derek for the visit with his mother. While on break at the coffee shop one day, Spencer sat across from Derek in a booth, notebook in front of him.

"What was my mother diagnosed with?" Spencer asked.

Derek swallowed the food in my mouth. "It's none of my business, because I'm not a member of the family or one of her doctors?"

"_Derek-_"

"Fine. Paranoid schizophrenia, and you put her in an institution when you turned 18."

"What does she do to pass the time at Bennington?"

"She gives English lectures to the other patients."

"Literature," Spencer corrected.

"There's a difference?" Spencer gave him a look and he put his hands up. "Sorry."

"What has she been allowed to do lately?"

"Considering her improved condition, she's been allowed to leave the sanitorium for supervised vacations. Recently, she's been to the Grand Canyon and sent you a pretty awesome package. Spencer, we've been over this a billion times over the last week. It'll be fine."

Spencer took a deep breath, closing the notebook and reaching over, grabbing one of his chips and eating it. "It's just… it's stressful."

"And how is it stressful?'' Derek asked, finishing his drink.

"I um…" he cleared his throat. "I've never… introduced someone to my mother before. I didn't even introduce my friends to her when I was a child out of fear for her doing or saying something. JJ managed it one time, but other than that… nothing."

"I wish I'd been that lucky. Unfortunately, I could never go home with someone without a sister or my mom being there."

Spencer sighed, flipping through the notebook before closing it again. "I've been writing to her about you since we met, so I hope that works in our favor. Because honestly, if she doesn't approve, she'll make our worlds a living hell via letters."

Derek clicked his tongue. "Since we met, huh?"

Spencer looked up at him. "What was that?"

"You said 'since we met'. Not 'since we started dating'. How long have you been talking about me?"

Spencer blushed, sinking into his seat. "That's none of your business and covered by mother/son confidentiality."

Derek grinned. "Riiight."

He cleared his throat, motioning toward his watch. "It's time for you to get back to work."

Derek checked his phone. "I guess so." He leaned over, kissing Spencer's cheek. "See you after work?"

Spencer nodded, putting his notebook back into his bag. "I'm picking up Henry and taking him to the park, then I'll be at your place."

"Sounds great." Derek picked up his container and glass, walking to the backroom.

After Spencer had left, Derek walked out to the register, tying his apron.

Penelope nudged him with her elbow. "So, how's it going?"

Derek shrugged. "Not too bad. Stayed at his place over the last week, now we're spending the week at my place, and Friday… I'm going to Vegas to meet his mom."

She gasped. "_You_ get to meet the mysterious Diana Reid? JJ's the only person who's ever had the pleasure… or displeasure, depending on how you look at it."

"Well, according to Spencer, we're not allowed to officially move in together without her approval, so she needs to meet me and approve."

"...And what are you going to do if she asks about you already living in sin?"

He laughed softly. "There is no 'sin', not yet anyway, but if she does? I'll play dumb."

"Shouldn't be too hard," she teased, before gasping, "what do you mean 'not yet'?"

He zipped his lips, tucking the invisible key into his pocket and smirking.

* * *

Before Friday, Derek had checked and rechecked his bag at least a dozen times. He was definitely nervous to meet Spencer's mother for the first time, and was worried that she would dislike him. What made him more nervous was the fact that Spencer had never brought someone home to his mother before, so he would be the first, meaning she would be even tougher on him than he originally thought. Spencer tried assuring him that everything would be fine, but he couldn't help but think of the negatives and how they would affect him. If she hated him, she definitely wouldn't approve of the two of them moving in together, and everything they'd done the last few weeks wouldn't matter. When he started stressing about it, he told himself he had to calm down and think about something else, because worrying wasn't going to do him any favors.

He hadn't slept at all Thursday night, and Friday morning he had Penelope drive him to the airport before work.

"So, meeting the Mom," she said, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel and glancing at him.

He nodded, running a hand over his scalp. "Yep."

"Nervous?"

"Mhm," he mumbled, looking up as she parked. "Advice?"

She gave him a shrug before clicking her tongue. "Don't piss her off."

He laughed to himself, scoffing. "_Thanks_."

"Anytime, sugar," she said, winking at him. "Now, the first step is the hardest. Out of my car or I'll be late to work."

"I see you're practicing tough love," he teased, picking up his bag and leaning over, kissing her cheek, before getting out, closing the door behind him.

She put down the window. "Hey, Derek."

He turned around, eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

She grinned. "You're going to do fine. Be yourself and she'll love you, I promise."

He smiled, blowing her a kiss. "Thank you, angel."

She caught the kiss, winking at him and tucking it into her pocket before driving off.

* * *

He walked into the terminal and saw Spencer standing there with their boarding passes in hand. He stepped toward him, kissing his cheek.

Spencer smiled at him. "Someone's nervous. No witty comment or 'Pretty Boy' nickname to greet me."

"And someone's perky without his morning coffee fix from me… unless his fix of me is going to be more than enough."

Spencer nudged him with his elbow. "Kiss-up. Let's go back to you being nervous."

"...Or let's not, get on our plane, probably sit in front of or behind a screaming child for the entire flight, and get to our hotel to actually get some sleep."

Spencer shrugged slightly. "I slept like a baby. You didn't?"

Derek exhaled, looking at the passes and taking his own. "We should get going."

"I"ll take that as a no."

"Can't hear you," Derek said, walking ahead of him.

Spencer chuckled to himself, following him to security.

* * *

When they landed in Vegas, Spencer decided to give his mother's doctor a call while Derek picked up their rental car. Derek saw Spencer walking toward him and twirled the keyring around on his finger.

"Hotel or Mom?" Derek asked, motioning toward his phone.

"Well, it's only 8:00 here so I was thinking maybe we could head to the hotel for a few hours before we go visit her?"

"Sounds good. Care to be my GPS so I don't need to drain my phone battery?"

Spencer nodded. "I think I can handle it. Just no bringing me to casinos to see my 'talents' because I don't want to be kicked out of anymore of them."

"I think we can handle that."

Once they were at the hotel, Spencer was going through the channels on the TV while Derek sat up on the bed, thinking to himself.

"I can hear you thinking," Spencer mumbled, landing on a game show and setting the remote down on the table. "At least get a nap in before we head over, because if you're not already exhausted, being grilled by my mother will make you plenty tired."

Derek mock laughed. "Does she like anything that I could give her and possibly make her love me?"

Spencer thought it over, clicking his tongue. "_Well_, she loves me, so telling her that we've yet to be intimate beyond kissing and sharing a bed for _just_ cuddling might score you some points?"

"While that may work, I was thinking presents. Books, chocolate, flowers… anything?"

He shrugged. "I definitely wouldn't get her a book. I've gotten her every book by her favorite authors, and even when I did that, she would judge my choices. She's not a fan of flowers, and she never liked chocolates. Looks like you're going to have to win her over the old fashioned way."

"...Damn."

Spencer smiled at him. "Get some sleep. That's the best advice I can give you." He reached for the remote, turning down the volume.

Derek laid back, tucking one of his arms under the pillow and looking at Spencer. "And are you going to catch up on your game shows?"

"I've seen this one before, but maybe after this episode. Now don't make me tell you again."

Derek put up his other hand. "Enough said." He let his eyes slip shut and leaned back against the pillows.

* * *

Spencer woke him up a few hours later, shaking him lightly as he set down a cup of coffee with his other hand.

Derek opened his eyes and sighed, sitting up. "This is a change - you serving _me_ coffee."

Spencer laughed softly. "Even better, it's not bad hotel coffee. I went to get you something that actually has taste to it."

"Then it _must_ be love." He took a sip, humming to himself. "Second best cup of coffee ever."

"Let me guess… only to your own?"

"Definitely." Derek looked over at the clock. "Once I finish this cup do you want to head out?"

"Fine by me."

He leaned against the headboard, sipping his coffee and trying to think of the best way to introduce himself, let alone have a conversation with Spencer's mother without her despising him and telling them they couldn't live together.

When they arrived at Bennington, Derek parked the rental car, turning to Spencer.

"Any last minute advice?"

Spencer thought to himself before nodding. "Be careful. Mothers can smell fear in boyfriends." He grinned at Derek before getting out, walking around and waiting outside his door.

Derek shook his head, opening his door. "I'm going to find a way to get back at you for this," he said, getting out and closing it.

"Oh?"

"One of my favorite personal quotes? Paybacks are a bitch."

Spencer took his hand, squeezing. "Come on, you're just delaying the inevitable." He pulled Derek's hand and walked inside.

* * *

Once Spencer said hello to some of the staff, they were on their way up to Diana's room. Derek wondered why he couldn't just write to her like Spencer had, or at least introduced himself in a letter to avoid an even more awkward first introduction, and he didn't know how Spencer had talked about him to his mother, so he was definitely going into this blind.

Spencer stopped in front of a door, turning to him. "Deep breath. You'll be fine, she'll love you because she knows I love you, and any mother just wants their kid happy."

Derek nodded. "So it won't be difficult?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying she'll come around if she despises you."

Derek laughed nervously as Spencer reached his hand up, knocking on her door.

It didn't take long for the knock to be answered, the door being opened and Spencer's mother standing before them. She looked the same as she had in pictures he'd seen around Spencer's apartment, just obviously slightly older. She smiled at Spencer and pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back.

"It's good to see you," Spencer whispered to her, grinning.

She pulled back, putting a hand on each of his cheeks. "You look better than last time. Happier."

Spencer blushed, putting his hands on hers, lowering them and motioning toward Derek. "Mom, this is Derek… from my letters. Remember?"

"Of course I remember," she told him, sounding insulted and turning to Derek, looking him up and down. As she looked at him, he glanced over at Spencer, who motioned toward her, mouthing 'talk to her'.

Derek cleared his throat, holding out his hand. "It's great to finally get to meet you, Diana. I'm Derek Morgan, and Spencer has said _many_ wonderful things about you."

"Has he?" she asked, turning toward Spencer.

Spencer put up his hands. "All good things. Now, could we possibly take this in your room and not make it the business of the entire floor that I'm introducing you to a significant other, considering that you say yourself in your letters that they're always looking for something to talk about?"

She nodded. "Of course." She stepped aside, allowing the two of them to walk into her room.

Derek took it in and saw several pictures of a young Spencer around in her room in frames, and on her bookshelves were plenty of photo albums, probably all filled cover to cover. Aside from those, there were a good number of books lining the shelves, all worn from the many times she had read them.

Spencer cleared his throat, motioning toward the couch and walking over. Derek gave him a nervous smile, taking the few steps across the room and sitting beside him.

"Spencer tells me you're content with a mediocre career choice," Diana started, sitting on her bed across from them and folding her hands in her lap.

Spencer's eyes went wide. "No, Mom, I mentioned that he was a barista, he was very good at his job, and he's a very impressive carpenter and handyman among other things, as he spends his spare time flipping houses for the market."

"Not in your first letter," she said, smirking at him, "I believe you called him an 'overconfident, seemingly confused individual'."

Spencer coughed, blushing. "...That was before I got to know him, and what happened to mother-son confidentiality?"

"Oh, I know you eventually came around. The adjectives changed over time," she reached into her drawer, taking out a stack of letters and going through them.

Spencer reached out, taking the letters and putting them back in the drawer. "Mom, that's not why we're here."

"Aren't mothers supposed to embarrass their children when they introduce them to significant others?" she asked. "Not like I'd know, of course. He's the first one that you've actually 'allowed' to meet me."

Derek laughed to himself, turning to Spencer who was slowly turning red. "So," Spencer started, picking up a picture frame, "is this from your outing to the Grand Canyon? I'm sure it was fascinating, as you described in your letters."

"Nice segue," Derek said, looking at the picture.

She nodded, taking the frame from him and setting it down. "Well, Spencer, there are things I would like to discuss with Derek, but I'd rather discuss them in private."

"We are in private," Spencer pointed out. "Just the three of us."

"I understand, but this would be a one-on-one discussion, one a mother can only have with her son's potential suitor."

"But Derek isn't looking for my hand in marriage… not that we've discussed anyway. So technically, he's not a suitor, just someone who cares deeply for me and eventually would like to possibly share a residence," Spencer explained.

She gave him a look. "Are you questioning me, Spencer?"

He paused before sighing. "Not at all. I think I'll go grab us some Jell-O or something," he mumbled, getting up and patting Derek's shoulder, taking a deep breath and walking out, closing the door behind him.

Derek turned to Diana, clasping his hands together and leaning forward. "As I said before, Spencer has said nothing but wonderful things about you. Honestly, he's never had a bad word."

She nodded, sitting up straight. "He's always talked highly about me. And I assume he's told you about his father?"

Derek exhaled. "Trying to buy his son's love several years after his abandonment and thinking it erases everything he's done? Yeah, I've heard about him. He sounds like a real gem."

"Not the best male role model he could've had."

"And that's part of it…" he started, fixing his posture, "that's why I want to get Spencer out of that place to go to another school. I understand he has JJ right next door there, but in that place, it sounds like his father subjects him to conversations with him whenever something comes up involving it. It's not only for our relationship, but I want him to finally be free from him and cut the ties, just like William did with the two of you all of those years ago."

"That's quite the speech," Diana said, eyebrows raised. "How long did you rehearse it?"

He thought it over. "Well, about twenty seconds in my head, and it just sort of slipped out, but I guess it's a good thing I did, because 'meet the parents' is never a fun game and you're never able to get your point across as you want, so I had to do it."

"That's very noble of you, and very brave. As I've heard from some friends, meeting your child's significant other is never a pleasant experience and it ends up being awkward for all involved."

He laughed softly. "That's usually how it is, yes. Though as far as my experiences go, this is definitely number one."

"On the good list, or the bad?" she asked.

"Good," he assured her, "definitely good. I actually have wanted to meet you for quite some time. Aside from the fear of meeting a parent, I wanted to meet the woman who was amazing enough to raise the puzzle of a person that is Spencer Reid."

She gave him a smile. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Derek."

He shrugged, putting his hands up. "It's just my natural charm, I'm afraid. My mom raised me to be a gentleman."

"That she did. I think as long as you swear not to hurt my son, we'll get along swimmingly."

* * *

Spencer walked back to the room a few minutes later to hear laughing on the other side of the door. He raised an eyebrow, opening the door and stepping inside, finding his mother with an open photo album and Derek nearly buckled over with laughter.

"What's going on?" he asked, setting a couple of Jell-O cups on her nightstand.

She looked up at him. "Welcome back, Spencer. Derek mentioned to me that his family visited and brought along photo albums, so I thought since you saw his childhood, I'd show him some of yours."

"And I can see why you wanted to keep them secret, but some of these photos are absolutely perfect," Derek said, wiping his eyes and calming himself down.

Spencer shook his head, sighing and sitting beside Derek. "It's great to see that you two are getting along and enjoying my embarrassing childhood together."

"We thought so too," Diana said, smiling and winking at Derek before turning the page in the photo album.

"So… is it okay if the two of us were to move in together?" Spencer asked.

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. Derek has received a few warnings as to what would happen to him if he were to hurt you, but I assume he listened to them."

"That I did," Derek said, reaching for the album and turning it toward him, smiling. "Nice potty picture."

Spencer exhaled. "This is your payback, isn't it?"

"Maybe."

* * *

After they said their goodbyes, Derek turned to Spencer. "That went surprisingly well."

"Perhaps too well," Spencer teased, nudging Derek. "Come on, I got you all nervous for nothing. Dinner's on me."

"Well, if you insist," Derek said, wrapping his arm around Spencer's shoulders and walking to the car.

* * *

After they got back home, they decided they needed to spend more time together, so Spencer was spending less and less time at his place and more at Derek's with Clooney. When Spencer would occupy himself with online courses to pass the time, Derek went up to their new 'house' and worked on it so he could at least make it inhabitable by the time Spencer started at school up there. Every time he would go up, he'd take pictures so he could show Spencer the progress and keep track of what he had left to do. It was very quickly coming together for him, and he even had Penelope come up with him at one point so he could get her approval. Once she convinced him that she needed a say in the interior decorating, she nodded her approval and pulled him into a hug. Not long before the move, Derek put in his two weeks notice at work with Hotch, and Hotch wished him luck.

Finally, the time came for them to start packing up their places and move up there. Spencer had selected all of his courses for the upcoming semester, and Derek had plenty of job interviews lined up so he could at least find _something_ to do there. First they packed up Derek's house and had everything ready to go, then they moved on to Spencer's place, where they were able to pack up the entire place in a few short hours. Derek had reserved the moving truck for the following morning, and Spencer couldn't have been more excited.

The next day, Spencer was having coffee with JJ while Derek went to pick up the truck.

She exhaled, setting her coffee cup down. "Is there any chance I can get you to back out and stay home?"

He smiled slightly, shaking his head. "Sorry, it's done."

"Not even if I have Henry ask you?"

"...That's playing dirty, and unfortunately, that won't even work."

"Can't blame a girl for trying, though he's going to talk to you before you leave, and I can't control what he's going to say," she said, shrugging and taking another sip. "The Spencer Reid I knew last year was scared of relationships and would never even dream of driving off into the sunset with the hunky stranger he met at the coffeehouse. What exactly happened to him?"

He chuckled. "That Spencer grew up and realized that not all relationships end poorly and that some are worth a little bit of work."

She reached over, patting his arm. "About time," she teased. "Now, please tell me you'll be visiting often, and we can visit anytime?"

"Yes and yes. I printed out copies of my schedule for the upcoming semester, the number for our landline up there on the off chance our cell phones aren't working at the time, and there's a spare key all in here," he said, taking an envelope out of his pocket and sliding it over to her.

She opened the envelope to verify everything was inside. "And what's Derek going to do for work up there? Please tell me he found something."

Spencer nodded, getting up to refill his coffee. "He's starting part time with a company that does a lot of contracting, construction, and things of the such, and hopefully that opens up some doors for him. And I'm sure he'd have no problem picking up some hours at a coffeehouse, though I did make him promise the only customer he'd flirt with is this one," he said, pointing to himself before pouring the sugar into his coffee.

"So things are looking up for both of you. Now the question is, how far has this relationship really _gone_?"

"JJ!"

"What? I need to be sure you're stable enough to live together."

"It's gone plenty of places and none of them are your concern!"

Penelope walked in, clicking her tongue. "What's got him doing that screechy 'grabs your spine and twists it' voice first thing in the morning?"

"I just asked him how the relationship has… developed."

"Derek won't budge on it, but fear not, the Boy Wonder is crackable," she said, walking over and leaning against the counter.

"And Derek is where?" Spencer asked.

"Finishing up packing his place before he brings the truck here. Now come on, when and where?"

He groaned loudly. "You two are _actually _the worst. I didn't pry into your couple activities, so why are you in mine?"

"Well," JJ started, "he's said their relationship has gone plenty of places and used the word 'activities', which we all know is code for-"

Spencer shook his head, putting his mug in the sink and washing it. "Derek can't get here soon enough."

* * *

When there was honking outside, Clooney ran for the door, barking.

Spencer got up. "Yes, that's Derek, calm down, you'll see him," he said, walking over and opening the door.

Derek leaned in, kissing his cheek. "Morning."

"I notice you left off the 'good'. Is that because of the nosy twins?"

Derek smirked. "Slightly." He looked toward the kitchen. "Do you ladies want to start grabbing boxes of books and bringing them out to the truck?"

Penelope sighed. "Those books alone are going to take us probably an hour to move." She eyed Spencer. "You're lucky we love you, 187."

"...I guess so?" he said, propping the door open and moving boxes so there'd be a clear path for them.

* * *

After all of the boxes were loaded in the back of the truck, Derek closed it up, exhaling. "Well, ladies, this is it."

JJ nodded, putting up a finger. "I have somebody who wants to get the first goodbye." She walked over to her place, opening the door and calling for Henry. He quickly ran out, wrapping his arms around Spencer's legs and squeezing.

Spencer smiled, bending down and pulling him into a hug. "I'm going to miss you most, buddy. But I _promise_ that you can call me _anytime_, and your mommy has a key to my house so you can come by whenever you want."

Derek looked down at him. "We even have a guest room if you want to have sleepovers with Uncle Spencer."

Henry's face lit up. "Can I?"

"You bet." He kissed the top of his head, ruffling his hair. "Be good for Mommy, okay?"

Henry nodded, hugging him one last time before backing up against JJ's legs.

She smiled, looking up at Spencer, exhaling. "What am I going to do without my baby brother around?"

"Torture me from a distance, I'm sure," he said, kissing her cheek and hugging her. "I'll be just a phone call away."

"Or a FaceTime," Penelope added.

Spencer raised an eyebrow, pulling back. "A what?"

JJ opened her mouth, but Derek put up his hand. "I'll introduce him to it."

Penelope hit Derek on the arm "I can't believe you're leaving me."

He laughed to himself, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her back, hugging her. "I'll be back to visit in no time. Besides, you need to come up and see the place once it's all done and approve of our 'decorating skills'."

She grinned. "That I can manage." She walked over to Spencer, hugging him. "Goodbye, my favorite genius. Outsmart everyone up there at the fancy new school, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be a problem." He patted her back, looking at Derek and sighing. "Shall we?"

Derek nodded, waving one last time before getting into the truck, starting it.

JJ grabbed Spencer's arm. "Hey, Spence…"

He turned around to her, eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

She chewed on her cheek. "You'll have a new nephew soon. Come back for him too, okay?"

"...You're serious?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah, Will and I just found out yesterday."

He gasped. "Absolutely. And I'll find him the perfect Halloween costumes. Guaranteed."

She hugged him one last time, leaning in and whispering in his ear. "Be happy, you've earned it."

He nodded slightly, giving her a small smile before waving and walking toward the truck, getting in.

Derek put on his sunglasses. "Ready for the next adventure?"

Spencer took a deep breath, nodding. "This should be interesting."


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Luckily for both of them, the transition went very smoothly. They had started living together as if it was nothing, and over time, even had a schedule for who would have to get up when Clooney had to go out on their days off, and most of the time, that person was Derek. Spencer started school and, after some nerves, had no problems with his first semester. Derek had started working at the company part time, but upon realizing that he would be doing grunt work, he realized that he could be doing so much more with his time. With the help of Spencer, he decided to start his own business. He obviously didn't have the money for his own location yet, but putting his information up both at Spencer's school and around some places in the community, he was able to establish himself and quit the part-time job to work for himself full-time.

Spencer walked in, putting the stack of mail on top of his books and setting it on the table, groaning.

"Hello, sweetheart, how was your day?" Derek asked, looking up from his own notebook.

Spencer groaned again, sinking into his seat at the table and going through the pile of mail, dividing it between the two of them. "Fantastic, can't you tell?"

"Do you want to tell me what happened, or do I need to pull it out of you to the point of you being mad at me for asking?"

He took a deep breath, sighing. "It's Professor Blake."

"...Again? I thought you met with her last month and everything was square?"

Spencer mock laughed. "I met with her after class today to figure out why she's pushing me so hard, much harder than the rest of my classmates."

"...And?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "And she said that she enjoys challenging her students beyond the limitations of the textbooks and wants them to research the subjects they write about, so they know more on the subject matter and retain more information."

"Okay, I'm with you so far?"

He cleared his throat. "And she knows about my intelligence level and my multiple degrees, so she knows I'm not the average student, so she knows I can do _better_, so she's choosing to individually challenge me to push me beyond my normal capabilities."

Derek bit his lip to hold back a laugh. "And what's so wrong with this? The last I checked, you're Spencer Reid, and you _love _to be challenged. In fact, before this semester started, _all_ I heard from you was 'Derek, I can't believe it, Alex Blake is teaching one of my courses - there are other professors available, but I _need_ to take her course!'."

"That was before I realized she won't take book quotations and looks for more elaborate answers, which I usually don't have a problem providing, but there's so much pressure!"

"Okay, and why don't you talk to your advisor about all of this?"

Spencer gave him a look. "She _is_ my advisor."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Good luck."

"Tell me about it - this may be the first course I don't get a perfect score in." When Derek gave him a look, he scoffed. "Yes, in my entire academic career, I've always exceeded the grading scale, does that surprise you?"

Derek shook his head. "Not even a little bit."

Spencer opened up his bag and took out his notebooks, setting them in front of him and putting his bag on the back of his chair. "Enough about me. How was your day? Did you finish work on that house?"

Derek nodded, showing him his notebook page. "I've started up plans for my next house to show the client interested in it tomorrow."

Spencer raised his eyebrows. "You already have another house lined up after one afternoon?"

Derek put up his finger, flipping through his notebook and pointing. "Three, back-to-back."

Spencer smiled. "That's… fantastic. How did you manage it?"

"Well, I'd like to attribute part of my success to my personal genius who built a website and told me all of the business know-how I needed to get my feet off of the ground with this business."

"In that case, you're very welcome."

* * *

While Spencer was doing his homework, flipping through his textbooks, he cleared his throat. "Have you heard from Penelope yet this week?" he asked before putting the end of his pen to his mouth. "I've yet to get my weekly 'I miss my Boy Wonder' text'."

Derek laughed softly. "Oh yes, I talked with her this morning before work."

"Judging by the laugh, I assume it was humorous?"

He nodded, closing his notebook and going through the cabinets to find something for dinner. "Well, of course she sends her hellos our way. And she also told me that she's planning an, and I quote, 'Hotchner and Prentiss Wedding Extravaganza for next summer, with a pregnancy of the unplanned variety being the only thing to speed up the process'."

Spencer chuckled. "Well, I guess Penelope Garcia-influenced couples have a high success rate."

"I guess so."

Spencer put down his pen, holding up a finger. "Speaking of Penelope Garcia-influenced couples? JJ and the nephews will be coming up for a visit this weekend."

"She told you about this one?"

Spencer gave him a look. "After last time when we came home on date night in a _mood_ and she was waiting for us on the couch? Yes, she called ahead."

"What day is she coming up so I can be home?"

"Well you should be home both days, but come on, you need to be here for your godson."

Derek ran a hand over his face. "Why am I godfather again?"

"Because according to Penelope, I only have enough godfather skills for one LaMontagne, and because JJ and Will both like you."

"If you say so."

* * *

That Saturday, Spencer woke up early to go through the house and be sure it was cleaned up for JJ's visit. He then went into the hall closet to grab a box of toys he'd bought for when Henry came for a visit, which included action figures, kids movies, and coloring books with crayons. Derek had gone out to do some shopping for sweets and healthy snacks, so Spencer could give Henry whatever he asked for when he got hungry. He set the grocery bags on the counter, unloading them.

"Apples, peanut butter, celery, raisins, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream, popsicles, and pudding. Why did I have to get so much?"

"Because one of two things will happen. JJ will say what he can have for a snack, or she'll say 'whatever Uncle Spence and Derek have', at which point I will offer him the latter mentioned snacks."

Derek laughed to himself, putting everything away. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Later that day, there was a persistent knock on the door. Spencer got up off of the couch, groaning. "This should be fun."

"What, spending time with the kids?"

Spencer shook his head. "She's not next door to come over and ask questions all the time anymore, so she's going to be making up for it." When she knocked again, he sighed. "Coming!" He walked over, pulling the door open and holding it. "Come on in."

Henry ran in, going to his toy box and looking through.

"Henry, say hello first," JJ said, walking in and setting the baby carrier down, exhaling. "He's asleep right now, _please_ don't wake him."

"Noted," Derek told her, turning down the volume on the TV.

Henry walked over to Spencer, wrapping his arms around his legs. "Hi, Uncle Spence. I miss you."

Spencer smiled, closing the door and bending down, pulling him into a hug. "I miss you too, little guy. Are you being an awesome big brother?"

He nodded slightly, lowering his voice. "I use my inside voice."

"And don't think Mommy doesn't appreciate that," JJ whispered.

Derek laughed softly, pulling JJ into a hug. "Didn't miss the whole infant thing, did you?"

She shook her head. "I don't even remember what sleep is. I'm in constant 'Finals Spencer' mode."

Spencer scoffed. "I've gotten better," he told her, standing up.

JJ eyed Derek. "Has he?"

"Yeah, he only cried once this last time."

"...Shocking."

Spencer mock laughed, walking over and hugging JJ. "Nice to see you too."

She patted his back, smirking. "Missed you, little brother."

* * *

JJ had settled on the couch with Henry, watching cartoons while the baby slept in his carrier, while Spencer was in the kitchen preparing another pot of coffee. He walked in a few minutes later, holding out a cup to her. "Two sugars and milk," he explained, taking the seat beside her.

"Spence, you are a _god_," she said softly, taking the mug from him and taking a sip before raising an eyebrow.

"...Is something wrong with the coffee? You could've had Mr. Former Barista make it and not asked me."

She shook her head. "What has me curious isn't the coffee. It's that piece of jewelry you've got on your ring finger."

Spencer cleared his throat, looking down at the silver band on his left ring finger. "Oh, that? Yeah, I um… I'm kind of engaged?" he said, blushing.

She gasped. "Spence!" she squealed, pulling him into a hug. "Congratulations!" She then pulled back, backhanding his arm. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Okay, one, _ouch_, and two, would you rather have found out over the phone where you couldn't see the ring in person?"

She nodded then paused. "...Penelope gave you that excuse, didn't she?"

"...Yeah, when she came up last weekend. And obviously _she_ didn't tell you either. So bother her."

"Oh, don't worry, I will." She turned to Derek. "What, where, when?"

Derek chuckled. "Um, about two weeks ago at a coffee shop not too far from here. Decided it would be a good thing to ask him to marry me in the same type of place where we met."

"Oh that's _adorably_ romantic!"

Spencer nodded slightly. "And I'm sure you'll be getting an invitation to the Fran Morgan planned festivities soon enough."

She glanced at Derek. "Your _mom_ is planning it?"

"Yeah, we kind of made the mistake of telling her we wanted it to be small and quick and wouldn't have a problem doing it at city hall… she took that as 'Mama, plan a wedding, we're clueless'."

"As well she should've."

"And when that happens," Spencer started, looking at Henry, "would you like to be the ring bearer at the wedding?"

Henry thought before growling like a bear.

JJ laughed. "I'd take that as a yes."

* * *

She turned to them. "So, how did it happen?"

Spencer leaned into Derek's side. "It was your doing, would you like to share?"

He smirked, wrapping his arm around Spencer's shoulder. "Well, first thing's first, I needed to get Diana's blessing, because without that I couldn't do anything, so I convinced Spencer that we needed to pay her another visit. She got Spencer to leave, I talked to her, she said yes, then she helped me plan it. She told me nostalgia was key and that would mean a lot to him. Lo and behold, it did."

JJ eyed him. "It did?"

Spencer nodded. "He took me out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, which I must say is an automatic red flag, usually followed by an 'I won't be home this week because I'll be working nonstop' or 'by the way, Clooney chewed on your book', so of course, I went into it expecting the worst. Dinner was amazing, then he said we were off to somewhere else. Now, in Derek Morgan language, that could mean anything - miniature golf, go-karts, batting cages, ice cream, the beach, the park… so I didn't know what to think. He pulls up in front of a coffee shop and all I can think is 'well, that's anticlimactic', but it turned out it was open mic night."

JJ gasped. "Oh, I like where this is going."

Derek smirked. "So I went up there, had him stand beside me, and read a poem that I'd worked on for _weeks_, and the last line was 'Spencer Reid, will you marry me?'. He blushed, got all flustered, pointed out my grammatical errors, and after some babbling, said yes. People applauded, he got more flustered, and someone was nice enough to capture it on video and send it to me."

"Please tell me I can see it."

He reached over for his phone, going through it and setting up the video, holding it out to her. "Be my guest."

She pressed play and leaned back, watching the video. She gasped loudly, cupping a hand over her mouth and squealing excitedly. "Oh this is _perfect!" _She immediately quieted down, crossing her fingers and hoping she hadn't woken up the infant. When she saw him sigh and keep his eyes closed, she breathed a sigh of relief. "So when's the wedding?"

Derek shrugged. "I'm sure she'll tell you soon enough."

* * *

When Spencer's phone went off a few minutes later, he checked the message and eyed JJ. "Really?"

She shrugged. "I had to scold her for knowing and not telling me."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "And what did she say?"

Spencer cleared his throat. "And I quote. 'There's video of this proposal and nobody told me?! I have to find out secondhand? Completely and totally unfair, Boy Wonder! What did I ever do to you?!'." He turned to JJ. "Rhetorical question or does she want me to start the laundry list?"

She laughed softly. "Pretty sure it's rhetorical."

* * *

Later on when JJ had to leave, Spencer was taking care of changing the baby while Derek was carrying a sleeping Henry out to the car.

JJ leaned against the car as she pressed the unlock button. "You may have asked for Diana's approval, but you didn't ask for mine."

"I thought the 'being a godfather to your child' thing was a given blessing," he whispered, putting Henry into his seat and buckling him in.

"It was, but you still could've told me."

"I know, and I'm sorry." He grabbed her bag, putting it on the floor in front of Henry's seat and closing the door. "But the more people who knew meant more ways for him to find out, and as you could tell from the video, I wanted him to be completely surprised."

She clicked her tongue. "I _guess_ that's okay. But I swear to God, Derek Morgan, you hurt him-"

"And you'll kill me," he finished for her, "I know. It was good to see you. You know you're welcome anytime."

She nodded, leaning over and wrapping her arms around him. "I know. Thank you."

He smiled, rubbing her back.

Spencer walked outside, carrier in hand. "He's fed, he's changed, he's awake, and smiling for the time being, so I think it's the best time to get him going home." He opened the back door, clicking the carrier into the base and kissing the infant's forehead before putting the blanket over him, closing the door.

"So is there an adopted little one in your future?" JJ asked.

Spencer scoffed. "Currently, no, I'm still a college student."

"And you're probably going to be for another billion years if you don't stop collecting degrees," she reasoned.

"I just don't want to ever have the chance to second-guess my career choice-"

"You mean the one you haven't picked because you're _still_ in college?"

Derek nodded his head. "_Now_ I definitely see the 'sibling' thing."

Spencer nudged him with his elbow before walking over, pulling JJ into a hug. "I'll miss you too."

She grinned, kissing his cheek and wiping off her lipstick before patting his back. "See you again soon. You've got some tux shopping to do."

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "And I'm sure you'll make it _so_ much fun. Can't wait."

She stepped back, twirling her keys around on her keyring before exhaling. "Guess I should get these little guys home." She waved to the two of them before getting in, starting the car.

* * *

Derek wrapped an arm around Spencer's shoulder. "Any chance I can actually get you to relax and watch a movie tonight?"

Spencer smiled. "Well, I _suppose_ Professor Blake's assignment can wait to be finished until tomorrow morning after you make me breakfast."

"Would you look at that? Paranoid Student Spencer taking a backseat. And when did I agree to make you breakfast?"

"...When you had me put off working on my paper to watch a movie?" Spencer said matter-of-factly, patting his hand and walking inside.

Derek shook his head, following him and closing the front door.

* * *

**Author's Note:** It took me a while to come up with an ending I'd be happy with that wouldn't just be long and boring paragraphs explaining everything and putting a bow on top. Thank you to every single person who followed, favorited, and commented on this story over the last year - I seriously can't thank you enough for your continued support. This story is one that I've spent most of my time on, and I'm thrilled that so many people enjoyed it. I don't see myself continuing this storyline unless random inspiration strikes, so please feel free to check out my other stories :)


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